LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Departments: Retirement

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Leader of the House how many employees from  (a) his Office and  (b) the Privy Council Office have been asked to retire upon reaching 65 years of age as a result of the Department's mandatory retirement policy in each year since 1997.

Jack Straw: None.

TREASURY

Departmental Expenditure

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much from the public purse was paid by his Department to Lexis Nexis Butterworths in each of the last five years.

John Healey: Information on payments prior to 2002-03 could be provided only at disproportionate cost due to a change in accounting system. The following table shows payments made since then.
	
		
			  £ 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Lexis Nexis UK 55 915 7,033 28,851 
			 Lexis Nexis Europe Ltd 65,982 59,980 72,294 85,897 
			 Butterworths Tolley 22,831 10,771 0 0

Electronic Data Systems

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the  (a) date,  (b) value and  (c) purpose was of each payment by his Department to Electronic Data Systems since 2001.

John Healey: Information on payments made prior to 2002-03 could be provided only at disproportionate cost due to a change in accounting system. Since then one payment has been made to Electronic Data Systems Ltd for £34,193 on 19 March 2004 for professional services in connection with the merging of tax policy units across the Treasury, Inland Revenue and Customs and Excise.

Migrant Workers

Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the changes to the Highly Skilled Migrants Programme on the British economy.

John Healey: The Highly Skilled Migrants Programme was amended in November 2006 to trial changes proposed as part of the move to a points based system for managed migration. The points based system will simplify the multitude of current routes into a scheme with five tiers for entry. One of the key objectives for changing the scheme is to reduce subjectivity and base decisions on objective evidence, making the process more transparent for the applicant. The aim of the change in November was to allow for a period of 'live testing' of the proposed tier one criteria, presenting an opportunity to review the effects of the criteria and refine them before full tier one roll-out. Tier one in the new scheme will be broadly equivalent to the existing Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP) in aim (to attract the most highly skilled who can benefit the UK) and entitlements (unrestricted access to the UK labour market, no need to have an employer in UK sponsoring application, the option to settle in the UK after five years, the right to bring dependants). The changes are therefore not expected to have a measurable impact on the UK economy.

Oil: Reserves

Andrew George: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his Department's policy is on the peak oil concept; and what planning his Department has undertaken on the basis of estimates of oil reserves in  (a) 25,  (b) 50 and  (c) 100 years time.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given yesterday by the Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry, my hon. Friend the Member for Poplar and Canning Town (Jim Fizpatrick).
	Therein, he indicated that the view of the International Energy Agency is that the key problem is not the limit of geological oil resources. The agency noted in its 2005 publication, 'Resources to Reserves—Oil and Gas Technologies for the Energy Markets of the Future':
	"The hydrocarbon resources around the world are sufficiently abundant to sustain likely growth in the global energy system for the foreseeable future".
	Rather, the challenge lies in bringing these resources to market in a way that ensures sustainable, timely, reliable, and affordable supplies of energy. While market mechanisms will help provide the incentives for the development of these resources, as well as low carbon technologies, governments need to take appropriate action—internationally and domestically—in support of this, and also to promote energy efficiency.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Don Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has plans to introduce a windfall tax on land value increases resulting from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The Government keep all taxes under review and changes to taxation are announced in the Budget.

Planning Gain Supplement

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans the Valuation Office Agency has to use automated valuation technology and methods to calculate Planning Gain Supplement liability.

John Healey: The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) have no plans to use automated valuation technology to calculate planning-gain supplement liability. Should the Government proceed with the planning-gain supplement, the valuations required to calculate liability will be self-assessed by taxpayers.
	The VOA will be involved in checking taxpayer's valuations but they do not envisage using automated valuation technology as part of this process. However, HM Revenue and Customs do plan to use an automated risk assessment process to select those valuations to be checked by the VOA.

Planning Gain Supplement

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the Valuation Office Agency's estimated total expenditure is on preparing for Planning Gain Supplement.

John Healey: The Valuation Office Agency have been involved in preliminary work on policy development undertaken by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to help them develop and explore the feasibility of proposals for PGS since 2004. The costs incurred have been borne by HMRC as part of the normal policy development process.

Planning Gain Supplement: Scotland

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which Government agency will conduct the valuations for planning gain supplement in Scotland.

John Healey: Valuations will be self-assessed by taxpayers, should the Government proceed with the planning-gain supplement. The valuations in Scotland will be checked by HMRC with assistance from the Valuation Office Agency.

Public Expenditure: Afghanistan

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much public money was spent on  (a) military operations and  (b) other projects in Afghanistan in each of the last six years.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is available in the Annual Reports and Accounts for the Ministry of Defence and the Department for International Development.

Public Expenditure: Iraq

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much public money was spent on  (a) military operations and  (b) other projects in Iraq in each of the last five years.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is available in the Annual Reports and Accounts for the Ministry of Defence and the Department for International Development.

Public Expenditure: Iraq and Afghanistan

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost to the public purse of the wars in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan has been to date.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is available in the Annual Reports and Accounts for the Ministry of Defence.

Publishing

Gordon Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value to the UK economy of the publishing industry was in each year since 1990.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 21 February 2007:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary Question asking what the value to the UK economy of the publishing industry has been in each year since 1990.
	(121895)
	Estimates of gross value added by industry are currently collected through the Annual Business Inquiry (ABI). Figures before 1998 were based on the Annual Census of Production (ACOP). However, figures for 1995-1998 were reworked on both bases to allow comparisons over time to be made. The table below shows both sets of figures for 1995.
	
		
			  Figures for gross value added for group 22.1 (publishing) of the standard industrial classifications 1992 and 2003 (publishing) 
			   Current prices (£ million) 
			   ABI based( 1)  ACOP based( 1) 
			 1990  4,984 
			 1991  4,872 
			 1992(2)  5,330 
			 1993  5,128 
			 1994  5,710 
			 1995 6,425 5,967 
			 1996 6,316  
			 1997 6,421  
			 1998 7,160  
			 1999 7,730  
			 2000 8,056  
			 2001 8,209  
			 2002 8,332  
			 2003 8,525  
			 2004 9,081  
			 2005 9,507  
			 (1) The annual census of production covered the production industries alone. the annual business inquiry on the other hand covers most sectors of the economy (excluding agriculture, finance and public services). The introduction of the ABI, with its greater coverage, is therefore likely to have caused a wider identification of publishing activity.  (2) Publishing is industry group 22.1 in the 1992 and 2003 standard industrial classification. Before 1993, this industry was dealt with rather differently in the then-current classification (the standard industrial classification 1980). Although the data for 1990-1992 have been converted to be broadly in line with earlier years, the change in Classification does mean that these estimates must be slightly uncertain.  (3) Note:  Estimates of gross value added are published in the results of the annual business inquiry, ONS annual survey into detailed industrial financial information on UK businesses.

Revenue and Customs: Data Protection

James Gray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the 10 day period allowed under the former Inland Revenue's Code of Practice 21 (COP21) for the Department to investigate and respond to an appeal against non-disclosure of subject access data under the Data Protection Act 1998 remains the same for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC); and when he expects Mr. Michael Armstrong of the Data Protection Unit HMRC to reply substantively to the letter from Mr. Gerard Churchhouse on his appeal (Ref: SAR 2090/06) dated 7 September 2006.

Dawn Primarolo: The target for replying to appeals against the non-disclosure of personal data under the terms of the Data Protection Act is outlined in HM Revenue and Customs leaflet "Information we hold about you—Data Protection". The target for issuing a response is 10 days. In this case an acknowledgement letter was not issued and a letter of apology will be sent to Mr. Churchouse, with an explanation of the delay and a substantive reply containing the result of further searches for data, by 23 February 2007.

Revenue and Customs: Greater Manchester

David Chaytor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many  (a) employees and  (b) workspaces there are in each of the HM Revenue and Customs' offices in Greater Manchester; and what the (i) expiry date of the lease and (ii) rental cost per square foot is of each office.

Dawn Primarolo: The following table gives requested details for the HM Revenue and Customs' (HMRC) offices in Greater Manchester, including those for Valuation Office Agency (VOA) the Executive Agency of HMRC.
	Almost all of the HMRC offices in Greater Manchester are held under private finance initiatives (PFI) arrangements which differ from traditional lease and rent arrangements. They do not have a normal lease expiry date and a standard rent is not paid.
	Employee numbers are taken from staff in post in each office at 1 December 2006.
	'Workspace' has been interpreted as desk and the numbers given are for desks in each office.
	
		
			  Town  Building  Employees as at 1 December 2006  Workspaces  Lease Expiry  Rent per sq ft (£) 
			 Altrincham Roberts House 79 180 PFI — 
			   
			 Aston Under Lyne Crown Building 77 90 31 March 2008 6.84 
			   
			 Bolton Stone Cross House 254 270 PFI — 
			   
			 Bury Minden Place 32 76 PFI — 
			   
			 Cheadle Boundary House 145 150 PFI — 
			   
			 Leigh Board man House 66 98 PFI — 
			   
			 Manchester Albert Bridge House 602 660 PFI — 
			  Manchester Airport 222 90 PFI — 
			  Portland Tower (VOA) 136 167 PFI — 
			  Royal Exchange 14 48 PFI — 
			  West Point 27 40 PFI — 
			  Westminster House 17 40 24 June 2016 13.03 
			   
			 Oldham Phoenix House 119 160 PFI — 
			   
			 Rochdale Newgate House 42 150 PFI — 
			   
			 Salford Anchorage 2 129 138 PFI — 
			  Custom House 347 280 PFI — 
			  Ralli Quays 521 550 PFI — 
			  Trinity Bridge House 1,937 2,020 PFI — 
			   
			 Stockport Archer House 401 398 PFI — 
			  Beckwith House (VOA) 53 85 PFI — 
			  Wellesley House 15 35 PFI — 
			   
			 Wigan Bridgeman House 72 126 PFI — 
			  Lingate House 56 85 PFI —

Smuggling: Tobacco

Colin Breed: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much duty and other taxes he estimates have been lost due to the smuggling and counterfeiting of tobacco products since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: HM Revenue and Customs estimates the revenue loss from consumption in the UK of illicitly supplied hand rolling tobacco and cigarettes. These are available from 2000-01.
	The estimated revenue loss to the Exchequer (duty plus VAT) on cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco due to fraud, smuggling and counterfeiting for 2000-01 to 2004-05 are given in Table 3.3 and Table 3.5 respectively of 'Measuring Indirect Tax Losses-2006' published by HMRC in December 2006 and available in the House of Commons Library.

Taxation

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to consult the public on the presentation of HM Revenue and Customs's taxpayer statements of account.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) introduced the new simplified self assessment statement of account in August 2006. Usability testing with members of the public was carried out as part of the design stage. A consultative group, including The Federation of Small Businesses, Tax Aid, Consumers Association and the accountancy bodies representatives, were closely involved in the development and redesign.

Taxation: Biofuels

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures he has considered to promote greater use of the fuel E85.

John Healey: High blend bioethanol (E85) already enjoys support through the 20 pence per litre duty differential for biofuels guaranteed until 2008-09. In addition E85 vehicles are included within the alternative fuel car rates of graduated vehicle excise duty and will pay £10 less per year than the equivalent petrol car.
	E85 as with other biofuels will be offered further incentives from the renewable transport fuel obligation, through the buy-out price on obligated suppliers.
	In the 2006 pre-Budget report the Chancellor announced that the Government would consider the case for an incentive in company car tax to support the take-up of flex-fuel vehicles, capable of using E85.

VAT

David Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the merits of a register of VAT registration numbers which is open to the public;
	(2)  under what circumstances HM Revenue and Customs may make available to trading standards officers the names and addresses of the holders of VAT registration numbers.

Dawn Primarolo: No such assessment has been made.
	Statutory provisions allow HM Revenue and Customs to provide information to trading standards officers in circumstances that would facilitate inland control of certain prohibited or restricted goods. This would not automatically include the names and addresses of the holders of VAT registration numbers.

Welfare Tax Credits

Mike Wood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost of administering the working tax credit and child tax credit systems was in 2005-06; and what proportion of this sum related directly to the updating of claims.

Dawn Primarolo: Figures for the full cost of managing WTC and CTC during 2005-06 are given in Note 3.5 of the HMRC Trust Statement.
	It is not possible to say how much of this related to the updating of claims.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Departmental Promotion

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff in her Department are on temporary promotion to  (a) Band B,  (b) Band C and  (c) SMS grades.

Geoff Hoon: The number of staff currently serving on temporary promotion in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Band B 127 
			 Band C 153 
			 Senior Management Structure (SMS) (1)— 
			 (1) Number withheld for privacy reasons: it is low enough to enable individuals to be easily identified 
		
	
	We do not normally grant promotion, including temporary promotion, into the SMS to staff who have not met the normal requirements at an Assessment and Development Centre. The few temporary promotions we have made into the SMS are exceptional: they are usually time-limited appointments to cover temporary vacancies during the reorganisation of a Post or Department.

Departments: Equal Opportunities

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps her Department has taken to implement the Race Equality Duty since 2000.

Geoff Hoon: Following the introduction of the race duties we produced a Race Equality Scheme (RES) in 2002. We revised and updated our RES in 2005.
	Our revised RES lays out in detail how we have implemented the Race Equality Duty. This includes information on how we:
	assess, and consult on, the likely impact proposed policies will have on promoting race equality;
	monitor policies for any adverse impact on promoting race equality;
	publish the results of assessments, consultation, and monitoring;
	make sure the public have access to information and services; and
	train staff to carry out the general duty and the specific duties.
	A copy of our RES is available at: www.fco.gov.uk.
	Our achievements under our RES include:
	more robust data. We carried out ethnicity surveys in 2003 and in 2006 to ensure that the arrangements we have in place for monitoring the ethnicity of staff are comprehensive and in line with our obligations under the RES. Our monitoring has shown that our employment policies and processes are in line with best practice;
	in 2003 we set up a Partnerships and Networks Development Unit to engage with a wider range of external communities in the UK. This helped to meet the requirement of the Race Equality Duty to promote good relations between people from different ethnic communities. Individual Directorates and overseas Posts also engage with minority ethnic communities on a regular basis;
	in 2006 we drew up a new recruitment strategy to encourage greater diversity in our recruitment and to consolidate our outreach efforts. We held a Recruitment Open Day on 25 July 2006 and ran four work experience schemes in the financial year 2006-07. We are also forming partnerships with universities with excellent academic records which are socially and ethnically diverse.
	We revised our guidance in 2006 to assist managers in carrying out diversity equality impact assessments.

Departments: Furniture

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many items of furniture were  (a) lost and  (b) stolen from her Department in each year since 1997; and what the value was of those items in each year.

Geoff Hoon: Individual items of furniture valued at more than £3,000 are recorded in the Department's fixed assets register and any losses or thefts of such furniture would be noted there. No such losses or thefts have been recorded in any year since 1998-99, the earliest year for which the register is held.
	Items of furniture valued at less than £3,000 are not recorded separately, and we do not maintain a central record of furniture valued at less than that amount reported lost or stolen. So it would not be possible to obtain this information on items below the £3,000 threshold without incurring disproportionate cost.

Departments: Pay

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the total sum of bonuses paid to civil servants in her Department was in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006.

Geoff Hoon: The total sum of bonuses paid to civil servants in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in the financial year 2005-06 was £5,989,100.
	The total sum of bonuses paid to civil servants in FCO in the financial year 2006-07 (to 31 December 2006) is £6,190,800.
	(Figures rounded to nearest £100).
	The FCO has two categories of bonus awards. The majority are awarded during the annual pay round based on appraisal evidence of performance during the year. The appraisal rating and the rank of the individual determine the size of the bonus. The median bonus payment for delegated grades in 2006 was £900. The average award for staff in the Senior Management Structure (SMS) was £5,146.
	The remainder are awards under a Devolved Bonus Scheme, which allows Directorates to nominate staff in the delegated grades, particularly the most junior, for smaller bonuses during the year for exceptional contributions above and beyond normal responsibilities. In financial year 2005-06 the average bonus under this scheme was £395.
	Our policy is to differentiate reward to staff and link it directly to performance. We therefore spend a high proportion of annual reward in the form of non-pensionable bonus payments designed to help drive high performance in the FCO. The framework for bonus payments to staff in the SMS/Senior Civil Service is set centrally by the Cabinet Office for all Whitehall Departments.

Departments: Theft

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what items valued at above £100 were reported as stolen from her Department's buildings or premises in the last 12 months.

Geoff Hoon: We do not record the monetary value of items that have been stolen. We are aware of six items reported as stolen during the past 12 months that are likely to be above £100 in value. These are one computer monitor, one MP3 player, one mobile phone, one docking station for a personal computer and two cameras.
	Our Security Managers investigate all thefts from Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) premises and appropriate preventative measures are put in place. Our staff are advised that they retain liability for all their personal items while within FCO buildings.

European Parliament: Sikhs

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions her Department had with other EU member states on allowing Sikh constituents wearing the Kirpan access to the European Parliament.

Geoff Hoon: On 31 May 2006 Sikhs from all over Europe came to the European Parliament on a march to protest against the French turban issue. Since the request to enter the European Parliament was submitted just a few days before, only 12 representatives of the group, from many different nationalities, were permitted entry to the Parliament with their Kirpans. The representatives of the group were able to speak to some Members of the European Parliament. If the group had applied further in advance then entrance for all would have been facilitated. There have been no EU discussions of this issue.

Official Gifts: Buses

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions her Department has taken steps to provide a double-decker bus to a foreign government as part of a campaign since May 1997; at what cost on each occasion; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: Red buses are recognised internationally as a symbol of the UK and of London. As such, they may in the past have been used in sponsored events arranged locally by our embassies. Any such use would be in support of the Government's public diplomacy objectives. It would not be possible to discover how often this may have happened from our central records and it would incur disproportionate cost to conduct a survey for this purpose.

Zimbabwe: Human Rights

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations she has made to the Government of Zimbabwe on human rights.

Ian McCartney: The Government of Zimbabwe can be in no doubt about our position on this key governance issue. Our ambassador in Harare raised human rights issues with the Permanent Secretary at the Zimbabwean Ministry of Foreign Affairs in November 2006. I also called in the Zimbabwean ambassador in September 2006 to express our concern at the Government of Zimbabwe's abuse of human rights.

Zimbabwe: Sanctions

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what investigations have been undertaken to identify the assets outside Zimbabwe of the members of the Mugabe regime who are subject to an EU assets freeze.

Ian McCartney: Within the UK, the Bank of England, as agent for HM Treasury, publishes the details of individuals and entities subject to the Zimbabwe assets freeze on its website. Anyone holding funds on behalf of listed financial sanctions targets has a duty to freeze those funds and report to the Bank of England. To date, this has resulted in 42 accounts being frozen in the UK under the Zimbabwe financial sanctions regime.

Zimbabwe: Sanctions

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions since the EU travel ban was imposed on Mugabe regime members such individuals have travelled to the UK; what measures are taken to detect such travel; whether the transit of such individuals via a UK airport would be detected in the normal course of events; what guidance the Department has issued to border authorities in respect of these individuals; and how many times a visa request has been received from such a person.

Ian McCartney: Zimbabwean nationals require entry clearance if they wish to come to, or transit, the United Kingdom, and all entry clearance posts and border control staff have details of those listed under the travel ban. If an individual named on the list was to apply for entry clearance, that application would be refused, unless one of the exceptions applied, and any carrying company bringing such a person to the UK without the requisite entry clearance would face a financial penalty.
	We do not keep records of the number of entry clearance applications made by the 126 individuals on the list. However, those in the list are unlikely to apply, as they know they will be refused. I can confirm that none on the visa ban list has been admitted to the UK. There has been one instance of a Zimbabwean on the EU travel ban list, who had a UK visa that predated the targeted measures, arriving at Gatwick and wanting to travel onwards to the USA. He was not allowed to transit the UK and was returned to Zimbabwe.

WALES

MOD Spending: St. Athan

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the economic impact of Ministry of Defence spending in St. Athan on the Welsh economy.

Peter Hain: Locating the Ministry of Defence's Defence training Academy to St. Athan will bring huge economic benefits including investment, creating jobs, regeneration and training to South Wales.

MOD Spending: St. Athan

Dai Havard: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the economic impact of Ministry of Defence expenditure in St. Athan on the Welsh economy.

Peter Hain: Locating the Ministry of Defence's Defence Training Academy to St. Athan will bring huge economic benefits including investment, creating jobs, regeneration and training to South Wales.

Job Creation

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many of the jobs created in Wales since 2001 have been in central and local government.

Nick Ainger: Employment in Wales is at historically high levels.
	Office for National Statistics figures for the year ending quarter 3 2006 show that public sector employment in Wales has increased by 14,000 since 2001.

A40: Upgrading

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will discuss with the Welsh First Minister the upgrading of the A40 road to facilitate movement between England and Ireland.

Nick Ainger: My right hon. Friend and I regularly meet with Welsh Assembly Government colleagues to discuss issues affecting Wales, including roads.

Crime Statistics

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on crime statistics for Wales.

Peter Hain: I have regular discussions with Ministerial Colleagues on all matters affecting Wales.
	I am pleased that during 2005-06 total recorded crime in Wales fell, and detection rates increased.

Departments: Appeals

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many independent bodies existed to hear appeals on decisions made by his Department in  (a) 1997-98,  (b) 2001-02 and  (c) 2005-06; and how many there have been in 2006-07 to date.

Peter Hain: The information is as follows.
	 (a) The Wales Office came into being on 1 July 1999 and has no Executive agencies.
	 (b) During the period 2001-02 the Wales Office, in common with all other Government Departments, had one independent body, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration (the ombudsman) to hear appeals on decisions.
	 (c)/ (d) The Wales Office, in common with all other Government Departments, has two independent bodies in existence for the period 2005-07 to date, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration (the ombudsman) and the Information Commissioner.

Departments: Complaints

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many complaints were received by his Department in  (a) 1997-98,  (b) 2001-02 and  (c) 2005-06; and how many have been received in 2006-07 to date.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office came into being on 1 July 1999 and has no Executive agencies. As confirmed in our annual reports, in the period 2001-06 we have received no formal complaints, and we have received no formal complaints in 2006-07 to date.

Departments: Complaints

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many staff worked in dedicated complaints units in his Department in  (a) 1997-98,  (b) 2001-02 and  (c) 2005-06; and how many have done so in 2006-07 to date.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office was created in 1999.
	As it is a very small Department (54 staff in 2005-06) and has no Executive responsibilities, it has never needed a dedicated complaints unit, and therefore no staff have been employed for such purposes.

Departments: Equal Opportunities

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps his Department  (a) has taken and  (b) plans to take to ensure that it and related bodies are in compliance with the gender equality duty in the Equality Act 2006 by the April 2007 deadline.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office is part of the Department for Constitutional Affairs and will therefore be covered by the DCA Gender Equality Scheme, due to be implemented by 30 April 2007.

Departments: Official Cars

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many vehicles belonging to his Department were  (a) lost and  (b) stolen in each year since 1997; and what the (i) make and model and (ii) value was of each vehicle.

Peter Hain: None.

Departments: Theft

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what items valued at above £100 were reported as stolen from his Department's buildings or premises in the last 12 months.

Peter Hain: None.

Efficiency in Public Services Review

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on what date he last met Ministers in HM Treasury to discuss the effects of Gershon job cuts on the Objective One area of Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: My hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State met the Paymaster General on 15 January 2007 to discuss the HM Revenue and Customs Change Programme and its impact on West Wales and the Valleys and Wales as a whole.
	The Paymaster General and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary have agreed to meet with the First Minister of the Welsh Assembly Government to discuss ways of ensuring that the Welsh Assembly Government are fully involved in the consultation process. This is the beginning of a genuine consultation process, no decision on the future of any particular office have been made.

HM Revenue and Customs Office

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Treasury and the Welsh Assembly Government on the proposed reorganisation of the HM Revenue and Customs office estate in West Wales and the Valleys.

Nick Ainger: I met the Paymaster General on 15 January 2007 to discuss the HM Revenue and Customs Change Programme and its impact on West Wales and the Valleys and Wales as a whole. I have also discussed this with the First Minister.

Legal Opinion

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he has met Ministers in the Department for Constitutional Affairs to discuss the effects of the Carter reforms on the provision of publicly funded legal services in Wales.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office has been in discussion with the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) at official level. We recognise that local factors are important, and what is done in Wales must be the subject of consultation there. My hon. Friend the Minister responsible for Legal Aid recently met with hon. Members representing Welsh constituencies to discuss the matter.
	On 13 July 2006, DCA published a consultation paper "Legal Aid: A Sustainable Future", simultaneously with the independent report by Lord Carter of Coles, "Legal Aid A Market-based Approach to Reform". The Government are fully committed to the market-based approach set out by Lord Carter. On 28 November 2006 DCA published "Legal Aid Reform: The Way Ahead". This sets out how the reforms to the procurement of legal aid services are to be taken forward, moving towards a market-based system, and taking account of the responses received to the consultation.

North Wales

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he last visited a constituency in North West Wales.

Peter Hain: I last visited North West Wales on 26 to 27 October 2006. I look forward to when I get an opportunity to visit the area again.

TRANSPORT

Departments: Official Cars

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicles belonging to his Department were  (a) lost and  (b) stolen in each year since 1997; and what the (i) make and model and (ii) value was of each vehicle.

Gillian Merron: The Department was formed in May 2002. Based upon records kept in the Department and its agencies, the following vehicles it owns have been recorded as lost.
	
		
			  2006 
			  Department or agency  Lost or stolen  Number  Make and model  Value (£000) 
			 MCA Lost(1) 5 Ford Focus 3.300 
			Vauxhall Astra 2,000 
			Ford Focus 3,300 
			Nissan Navara 8,200 
			Land Rover 90 3,000 
			  
			 GCDA Lost(1) 4 Vauxhall Omega 2.6 Saloon 3,925 
			Vauxhall Omega 2.6 Saloon 3,400 
			Ford Transit SWB Duel Fuel 3,075 
			Ford Transit SWB Duel Fuel 3,550 
			  
			 HA Lost(1) 4 Toyota Land Cruiser 15,000 
			Nissan Pathfinder 15,000 
			Mitsubishi Shogun 15,000 
			Nissan Pathfinder 15,000 
			  
			 VOSA Lost(1) 3 Volkswagen Passat 5,300 
			Ford Galaxy 17,000 
			Ford Focus 2,250 
			 Total118,300 
		
	
	
		
			  2005 
			  Department or agency  Lost or stolen  Number  Make and model  Value (£000) 
			 MCA Lost(2) 1 Nissan Navara 20,000 
			  
			 GCDA Lost(1) 1 Vauxhall Omega 2.6 Saloon 3,600 
			  
			 DVLA Lost(1) 1 Vauxhall Astra Not available(3) 
			  
			 HA Lost(1) 2 Mitsubishi Shogun 15,000 
			Range Rover 15,000 
			  
			 VOSA Lost(1) 1 Ford Galaxy 18,000 
			 Total71,600 
		
	
	
		
			  2004 
			  Department or agency  Lost or stolen  Number  Make and model  Value (£000) 
			 MCA Lost(1) 3 Ford Focus 3,100 
			Nissan Navara 10,800 
			Nissan Terrano 1,025 
			  
			 DVLA Lost(1) 1 Peugeot Partner Not applicable(4) 
			  
			 VOSA Lost(1) 1 Skoda Octavia 7,500 
			 Total22,425 
			 (1 )Accident (2 )Arson (3 )Not available (Hire Vehicles, costs covered and dealt with direct via insurance company, (4 )Not applicable (car value was 3,300, costs recovered via insurance, 
		
	
	No vehicles were reported as stolen.

Driving Offences: Northern Ireland

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the policy reasons are for not taking into account licence points accrued in Northern Ireland in road driving bans in the rest of the United Kingdom; if he will ensure that they are taken into account; and if he will make statement.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 19 February 2007
	The reason that licence points accrued in Northern Ireland are not simply added to those accrued in Great Britain in consideration of possible disqualification from driving is that the points are issued in separate jurisdictions under separate (and in Northern Ireland devolved) legislation.
	Any sentencing court in Great Britain may, if presented with a Northern Ireland licence or its paper counterpart, take into account information contained on it, including Northern Ireland penalty points, if it so wishes.
	Any driver disqualified from driving in Great Britain is also so disqualified in Northern Ireland, and vice versa, as a result of measures introduced in the Crime (International Cooperation) Act 2003 and the Road Traffic (Driving Disqualifications) (Northern Ireland) Order 2003, and brought into effect on 11 October 2004. The 2003 Act and the 2003 Order also enacted the necessary primary legislation to enable us to ratify the 1998 International Convention on driving disqualifications.
	We have given priority to dealing with the most serious offenders, by concentrating on driving disqualifications, where officials of all three Administrations, Great Britain, Northern Ireland and Ireland, are working closely together to initiate cooperation between the United Kingdom and Ireland as soon as practicable within the framework of the 1998 International Convention.
	The Department is examining the feasibility and implications of bringing into effect mutual recognition of penalty points for motoring offences between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. This is being done as part of a wider study, undertaken in cooperation with the Irish Government, of the feasibility of cooperation between the United Kingdom and Ireland to penalise motoring offences. I hope to be able to take a view on the way forward at the same time as we initiate practical cooperation on driving disqualifications between the UK and Ireland.

Great Western Trains

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with First Great Western about post-December 2006  (a) reliability and  (b) staff shortages on trains to the far South West.

Tom Harris: Issues such as staff shortages on trains are discussed when ministers meet monthly with the rail industry to assess performance and also hold other discussions as needed. The last discussion was held with First Group on 14 February 2007.

Lorries: Excise Duties

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will impose road duty on overseas heavy goods vehicles calculated according to their contribution to  (a) congestion and  (b) pollution.

Stephen Ladyman: Vehicle excise duty (VED) is paid according to the country of registration and UK VED may not be levied on foreign vehicles. No decisions have been taken on whether to move to a national system of road pricing and what the coverage of such a system might be, but application to foreign lorries is being considered as part of the Government's exploration of road pricing.

Oil: Production

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's policy is on the peak oil concept; and what planning his Department has undertaken on the basis of estimates of oil reserves in  (a) 25,  (b) 50 and  (c) 100 years time.

Gillian Merron: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Science and Innovation on 20 February 2007 (UIN 120523).

Railway Stations: Smoking

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to encourage the early designation of railways and bus stations as non-smoking areas.

Tom Harris: All passenger trains are already non-smoking and smoking is not permitted in areas at many stations. Those stations and bus stations where smoking is still permitted will become subject to the new legislation contained in the Health Act 2006 (smoke-free premises, places and vehicles) when it takes effect.

Railways: Infrastructure

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been invested annually in infrastructure by rail services operating in  (a) the United Kingdom and  (b) each of the areas of London over the last 10 years.

Tom Harris: Investment by the railway industry for Great Britain is set out in the National Rail Trends, which is available in the Library of the House and at:
	www.rail-reg.gov.uk.
	The Government do not collect investment data by sub-region or region.

Railways: Milton Keynes

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of empty seats on Virgin Pendolino trains passing through Milton Keynes Central Station on weekdays between 7 am and 9 am without stopping, or to set-down only.

Tom Harris: The volume of spare capacity on each southbound Virgin Pendolino train passing through Milton Keynes Central station will inevitably vary from day to day. At present, this may amount to no more than 30 seats in standard class and twice this amount in first class, with business continuing to grow substantially.

Railways: Richmond upon Thames

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with South West Trains on extending rail platforms in Richmond Park constituency; which platforms are to be extended; and when this work is expected to be completed.

Tom Harris: Decisions on the extending of rail platforms is an operational matter for Network Rail, the owner and operator of the national rail network. The hon. Member should contact Network Rail's Chief Executive at the following address for a response to her question:
	Mr. John Armitt
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	40 Melton Street
	London NW1 2EE

Railways: Viaducts

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had on the future of the Nine Elms and Stewarts Lane viaducts near London Waterloo; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Harris: These are operational matters for Network Rail, the owner and operator of the national rail network. The hon. Member should contact Network Rail's Chief Executive at the following address for a response to her question:
	Mr. John Armitt
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	40 Melton Street
	London NW1 2EE

South West Trains

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much investment in rail infrastructure is planned by South West Trains over the next  (a) five,  (b) 10 and  (c) 15 years.

Tom Harris: Decisions on investment on rail infrastructure are made by Network Rail. The hon. Member should contact Network Rail's Chief Executive at the following address for a response to her question:
	Mr. John Armitt
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	40 Melton Street
	London NW1 2EE

South West Trains

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions his Department has had with South West Trains on the future use of the former Eurostar platforms at London Waterloo; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Harris: The use of Eurostar platforms at Waterloo was included as a priced option within the Franchise Specification for the South Western Franchise. The Department continues to discuss detailed options at Waterloo International with all interested parties including South West Trains and Network Rail.

Thameslink 2000

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the building works for the Thameslink 2000 project are expected to finish.

Tom Harris: The decision to proceed with the Thameslink project is being considered in the context of the comprehensive spending review and the High Level Outputs statement for the rail industry.
	A decision on the project will be taken later this year.
	If the project is implemented Network Rail's current programme indicates that the substantive construction work will be completed by 2016.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Pollution Control

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will consider basing the charging regime for the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations on the number of livestock in each farm; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Vale of York (Miss McIntosh) on 25 January 2007,  Official Report, column 1903W.

Avian Influenza

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what international research his Department is  (a) commissioning and  (b) supporting into the (i) causes and (ii) transmission of avian influenza.

Ben Bradshaw: DEFRA continues to carry out surveillance for avian influenza on an international and domestic scale. These activities provide an essential early warning system. They also help in analysing the effectiveness of disease control measures, which improves our understanding of the virus.
	The Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) is the world reference laboratory for avian influenza; in the forefront of international efforts to monitor disease patterns and provide advice on disease control. The VLA has a strong avian influenza research team investigating strain differences, improved methods of detection and a greater understanding of the infection and how it spreads.
	Other DEFRA-funded research projects on avian influenza include:
	(i) SE0518 (project code): Pathogenesis, transmission and characterisation of H9 avian influenza viruses
	(ii) SE0760: Investigations into the genetic mechanisms that determine host restriction and virulence of avian influenza A viruses
	(iii) SE0771: Pathogenesis and improved diagnosis and control of avian influenza infections
	(iv) SE0776: Dynamics, selection and pathogenicity in avian influenza: from individual to population
	(v) SE0783: Pathogenesis and the interrelationships between antigenic and genetic data for diagnosis and control of avian influenza.
	Further information is available on the DEFRA website.

Avian Influenza

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to lift the ban on bird gatherings and auctions assuming no further outbreaks of avian influenza are discovered.

Ben Bradshaw: The national ban on bird gatherings outside the restricted zones in Norfolk and Suffolk was lifted on 16 February. This followed the publication of the preliminary epidemiological report on the Suffolk outbreak, which suggested that there was little evidence for the involvement of wild birds in the spread of disease.
	The lifting of the ban covers falconry displays, fairs, markets, shows, exhibitions and domestic pigeon races. These can go ahead subject to conditions; organisers must notify the state veterinary service at least seven days in advance, and must keep records and practise good biosecurity.
	Bird gatherings are still banned within the protection, surveillance and restricted zones. These restrictions will continue until such time that the zones are lifted completely.
	The earliest we would be able to lift the restriction zones in Suffolk and Norfolk is the second week of March, provided there are no further local outbreaks or suspect cases under investigation at the time.
	The ban on pigeon racing from outside the British isles remains in place pending a review of the veterinary risk assessment.

Avian Influenza

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many wild birds were reported dead to his Department in each month since February 2005.

Ben Bradshaw: Surveillance for avian influenza in wild birds is in place throughout the UK and has been ongoing since October 2005.
	The surveillance is now targeted to focus on species of wild birds that experts believe to have a greater potential role in the spread of avian influenza viruses. There is a comprehensive list which generally includes ducks, geese, swans, gulls and waders. Sampling is also targeted to high priority surveillance areas; these have been chosen on the basis of abundance of migratory water bird species and domestic poultry.
	Information on the exact number of individual birds reported in each month is not available. However, the total number of dead birds reported and subsequently tested by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) in each month since February 2005 is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Month/year  Number of dead birds tested by the VLA 
			 February 2005 19 
			 March 2005 19 
			 April 2005 45 
			 May 2005 51 
			 June 2005 74 
			 July 2005 63 
			 August 2005 71 
			 September 2005 55 
			 October 2005 149 
			 November 2005 133 
			 December 2005 67 
			 January 2006 85 
			 February 2006 275 
			 March 2006 1,219 
			 April 2006 3,925 
			 May 2006 2,000 
			 June 2006 715 
			 July 2006 271 
			 August 2006 315 
			 September 2006 161 
			 October 2006 161 
			 November 2006 155 
			 December 2006 101 
			 January 2007 186 
		
	
	The significant increase in the number of birds tested during the second quarter of 2006 is linked to the finding of H5N1 in a dead swan in Cellardyke, Scotland.

Avian Influenza: Disease Control

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the potential for the rapid spreading of the H5N1 virus between birds in sealed containment sheds used for factory farming poultry.

Ben Bradshaw: Infected birds shed avian influenza viruses in their saliva, nasal secretions, and faeces. Susceptible birds become infected when they have direct contact with other infected birds, or through contact with surfaces (such as dirt or cages) or materials (such as water or feed) that have been contaminated with the virus. Once within a sealed containment shed the avian influenza virus is likely to be very contagious among other birds that are present.

Avian Influenza: Disease Control

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the vulnerability of poultry sheds to incursion by wild birds via ventilation systems.

Ben Bradshaw: Our bio-security guidance to farmers has consistently highlighted the need to limit and control access to poultry flocks wherever possible, and to prevent incursion by wild birds and rodents. Access to poultry sheds via ventilation systems should be regularly inspected as a routine part of good bio-security practice.
	It is crucial that keepers follow these measures at all times, and not just during a disease outbreak.
	On 16 February 2006, Defra issued an interim epidemiological report into the source of the recent outbreak of avian influenza infection in Suffolk. It concludes that there is little evidence to support the hypothesis of transmission from a wild bird source. However, we are yet to reach a final conclusion and investigations will continue to be all-embracing in respect of possible means of introduction of the virus.

Biodiversity: Local Area Agreements

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many agreed local area agreements have incorporated biodiversity requirements.

Barry Gardiner: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 18 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1433W.

Nature Conservation

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that his Department's guidance on local site systems is implemented.

Barry Gardiner: The Department published "Local Sites: Guidance on their Identification, Selection and Management" in April last year, with the aim of promoting more transparent and consistent approaches in the operation of local sites systems. Defra also organised a seminar in Birmingham on 25 January 2007, designed to promote the guidance further and enable interested parties to share good practice. The seminar was well attended and feedback from the event was very positive. We are currently considering, with partners, how to take forward the outcomes from this event.

Nature Conservation

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure the full implementation of his Department's guidance on local site systems within local area agreements.

Barry Gardiner: The Government are committed to ensuring that environmental issues, including biodiversity, are effectively addressed at all levels and in partnership between local bodies. Where local area agreements can contribute to the delivery of the Government's and local areas' environmental objectives, they do so. Many local areas have already chosen to include targets relating to environmental issues in their local area agreements.

Pollution Control: Local Authorities

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his Department's policy is on whether local authorities should be compensated under the New Burdens directive for the cost of new or higher environmental taxes or levies introduced by central Government under the Pollutor Pays principle.

Phil Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 6 February 2007,  Official Report, columns 782-83W.

Recycling

Shahid Malik: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the merits of introducing compulsory minimum levels for recycling of household waste which must be met by local councils.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government have already set statutory performance standards for recycling and composting for all local authorities in England.
	261 authorities (66 per cent.) in England met or exceeded their individual targets in 2005-06, with households recycling 26.7 per cent. of their waste. This exceeded the Government target of 25 per cent. and was a 4 per cent. increase from the previous year.
	However, we still have more to do to increase our recycling and composting rates, which is why we have raised local authorities' existing 'floor level' target from 18 to 20 per cent. for 2007-08. This higher baseline target will ensure a more even level of service provision across the country and help close the gap between the lowest and the highest performing local authorities.
	In October 2006, the Government published the Local Government White Paper, "Strong and Prosperous Communities". In the new local government framework, the new generation of local area agreements (LAA) will include a single set of targets for improvement (a maximum of 35 out of the 200 mandatory indicators), tailored to local needs and agreed between Government and local partners. There will be a duty for local authorities and other local partners to work together to agree the priorities in the LAA. Once agreed with Government, local partners would be required to have regard to these priorities for improvement. In this way central government is focusing its action on the things that really matter to people everywhere, guaranteeing national minimum standards, but also leaving room for local innovation and local priorities. We are developing proposals for how waste should feature in this new framework.

Recycling

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the amount and proportion of material collected by local authorities for recycling that is subsequently rejected because of  (a) co-mingling and  (b) other contamination; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: In 2005-06, an estimated 6.8 million tonnes of the household waste collected by local authorities in England was recycled. The small proportion of this waste that did not meet the standard for recycling was sent for energy recovery or landfilled, depending on the availability and cost of local facilities. An Environment Agency survey last year suggested reject rates typically varied from 5-10 per cent. although these can be higher.

Recycling

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment has been made by the Waste and Resources Action Programme of the effectiveness of local authorities in preventing the co-mingling of glass with other recyclables; and if he will publish statistics relating to each authority's effectiveness in this area.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 19 February 2007
	It is the responsibility of each local authority (LA) to decide how best to collect and manage their waste; DEFRA does not assess LA performances on the collection of specific materials.
	However, the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) report, "Realising the value of recovered glass", published in January 2007, included an assessment of current collection processes and the impact this has had on the market for recovered glass.
	WRAP's report found that, although almost all LAs now operate kerbside dry recyclable collection schemes, only around two-thirds of them collect glass, Very few materials recovery facilities currently accept glass, which makes it difficult for it to be collected when co-mingled with other recyclables. Collecting glass separately from other dry recyclable materials can be expensive.
	Nevertheless, the report found that the amount of glass collected by LAs via the municipal waste stream has increased in recent years. In 2005-06, local LAs in England recovered 377 thousand tonnes of glass from kerbside collections, with a further 382 thousand tonnes from bring/civic amenity sites. This compares to around 160 thousand tonnes from kerbside collections, with another 390 thousand tonnes from bring sites in 2004-05.
	In 2002, only 84 LAs had kerbside glass collection schemes, compared to the estimated 300 authorities by mid 2006. The number of LAs operating such schemes is expected to increase further over the next few years as LA's targets for recycling and composting become even more demanding.
	WRAP will also shortly be initiating a project to improve LA's understanding Of the quality Standards required for the different uses of recycled glass, how to achieve those standards and the relative environmental benefits of different end uses.

Recycling

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what plans he has to encourage local authorities to improve their recycling rates;
	(2)  what plans he has to encourage local authorities to provide kerbside collection for the recycling of  (a) glass,  (b) plastic,  (c) paper,  (d) compostable waste and  (e) tins.

Ben Bradshaw: Recycling is strongly promoted by a range of Government policies and we have set demanding targets, both nationally and locally, for household waste recycling and composting.
	Recycling and composting of household waste has doubled in the last four years and almost quadrupled since 1997. Our consultation on the Waste Strategy review, carried out last year, also included proposals to set much more ambitious household waste recycling and composting targets, to reach 40 per cent. by 2010 and 50 per cent. by 2020. The targets are not material-specific, but we expect the range of materials collected by local authorities to increase further as recycling and composting targets become more demanding and as collection and treatment capacity increases.
	Expanding kerbside collection service is one way to help drive up recycling rates and under the Household Waste Recycling Act 2003, all local authorities in England are required to collect at least two types of recyclable waste from all households in their area by the end of 2010. Most households already receive this, or a better level of service.
	Government support for, and engagement with, the poorest performing authorities will help close the gap between the poorest and the best performing local authorities and ensure a more even level of service provision across the country. Local authorities' ever diminishing landfill allowances, allocated under the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme, also provide a strong incentive to divert greater amounts of biodegradable waste (including compostable garden and kitchen waste), from landfill, as does the escalating landfill tax.
	On a national basis, the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), funded by DEFRA and the devolved Administrations, is working to promote sustainable waste management by creating stable and efficient markets for recycled materials and products. WRAP also runs the Recycling and Organics Technical Advisory Team (ROTATE), which provides support and advice available to all local authorities in England on the separate collection of dry recyclables and organic wastes. This includes advice to those authorities planning to introduce a new scheme or the collection of new materials.

Veterinary Laboratories Agency: Institute for Animal Health

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the policy reasons are for his decision to keep the Veterinary Laboratories Agency and the Institute for Animal Health as separate agencies.

Ben Bradshaw: On 29 January, Defra welcomed Professor John Preston's report into the working relationship between the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) and the Biotechnology and Biological Research Council (BBSRC)-sponsored Institute for Animal Health (IAH).
	The report, which presents options for future relations, follows extensive consultation between the VLA, IAH, their sponsor Departments and across Government. It was produced in partnership with the BBSRC and was subsequently reviewed by the Defra Management board and BBSRC council on 23 November 2006 and 5 December 2006 respectively.
	The report provides a comprehensive overview of the VLA and IAH and recognises the essential services the two institutes provide to the UK in the field of animal and public health. It also acknowledges their research and surveillance activities, which provide cutting edge science for application in the field and highlights that there is much to be gained through closer co-operation between the two institutes.
	Based on their scientific activities and provision of services to the UK, the report provides a reasoned case for the option for merger to be considered further. Further analysis to identify suitable governance arrangements and work to build an agreed business case would be required before this could happen. Therefore, Defra, in agreement with the BBSRC, considers that the VLA and IAH should remain separate organisations while actively continuing to explore opportunities for greater collaboration, in line with option A of the Preston report.

Veterinary Medicine

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  if he will review the ability of veterinary surgeons to prescribe for animals medicines otherwise used for humans;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the impact of the cost of drugs on the affordability of care for sick domestic animals.

Ben Bradshaw: The regulation of veterinary medicines is controlled by EC directive 2001/82 as amended by directive 2004/28/EC. The Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2006 (VMR) implement this directive in the UK.
	The directive and the VMR permit veterinary surgeons to use other medicines where no authorised veterinary medicinal product exists for the condition in the animal being treated. This is called the Prescribing Cascade and allows, among other options, for a human medicine to be prescribed where there is a clinical need.
	Veterinary medicine is private medicine and there is no specific legislation governing the cost of veterinary medicines. The Competition Commission (CC) reported on the Supply of Prescription Only Medicines in April 2003. They made a number of recommendations to improve the competitiveness of the veterinary medicines market and these are being implemented. No assessment has been made of the cost of drugs or the affordability of care for sick domestic animals although this is, of course, only one element in the total cost of treatment.

Veterinary Surgeons

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his objective justification is under the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 for terminating the local veterinary inspector status for veterinary surgeons when they become 65 years old.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 15 January 2007
	The appointment of local veterinary inspectors (LVIs) by the state veterinary service (SVS) is covered in 'General Procedures for Local Veterinary Inspectors' (chapter 58A of the SVS instructions). The chapter has been agreed with the British Veterinary Association and a copy is held by each veterinary practice that provides LVI resource to the SVS.
	LVI appointments are approved on the basis that they will operate within the specifics of the 'Memorandum of Conditions of Appointment'. This Memorandum states that
	"the appointment of a LVI should terminate on reaching the age of 65 unless the Minister, in his or her absolute discretion, decides that it shall continue".
	The 'General Procedures for Local Veterinary Inspectors' also make clear that LVI's are not employees of the SVS or DEFRA.
	The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 specifically exclude the provision of goods and services and DEFRA, therefore, does not consider the Memorandum of Conditions of Appointment of LVIs to be in breach of this legislation.
	The SVS is currently reviewing the LVI arrangements, the details of which will be available later in 2007.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Age

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel are under the age of 18 years.

Derek Twigg: At 1 January 2007, 4,340(1) UK regular forces were under the age of 18 years.
	(1 )Provisional. Due to the introduction of a new Personnel Administration System for the Naval Service and RAF, data are provisional and subject to review.
	UK regular forces includes nursing services and excludes full-time reserve service personnel, Gurkhas, the Home Service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment and mobilised reservists. Data include trained and untrained personnel.

Armed Forces: Compensation

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether priority treatment for former service personnel is for  (a) illness and injury compensated for by war pensions and  (b) any injury or illness sustained during service in the armed forces.

Derek Twigg: Priority treatment in the national health service for former service personnel applies to the condition or conditions found attributable to Service under the war pension scheme.

Armed Forces: Deployment

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) shortest and  (b) average tour interval is of (i) the Light Dragoons, (ii) 1(st) Battalion The Grenadier Guards, (iii) 1(st) Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, (iv) 1(st) Battalion The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters, (v) 26 Engineer Regiment Royal Engineers, (vi) 19 Regiment Royal Artillery, (vii) 2 Signal Regiment Royal Signals, (viii) 4 Logistic Support Regiment Royal Logistic Corps, (ix) 4 General Support Medical Regiment Royal Army Medical Corps, (x) the 2(nd) Royal Tank Regiment, (xi) 3 Regiment Army Air Corps (xii) 9 Regiment Army Air Corps, (xiii) 2 squadron of the Royal Air Force Regiment, (xiv) 15 squadron of the Royal Air Force Regiment and (xv) 51 squadron of the Royal Air Force Regiment.

Derek Twigg: The shortest and average tour intervals (based on operational deployments between March 2002 and April 2007 including Herrick 6) for the Army units listed, are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Months 
			  Unit  Shortest tour interval  Average tour interval 
			 Light Dragoons 18 22 
			 1(st) Battalion The Grenadier Guards 8 11 
			 1(st) Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment 11 25 
			 1(st) Battalion The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters 11 17 
			 26 Engineer Regiment Royal Engineers 17 21 
			 19 Regiment Royal Artillery 17 17 
			 2 Signal Regiment Royal Signals 46 46 
			 4 Logistic Support Regiment Royal Logistic Corps(1) n/a n/a 
			 4 General Support Medical Regiment Royal Army Medical Corps(1) n/a n/a 
			 2(nd) Royal Tank Regiment 46 46 
			 3 Regiment Army Air Corps(1) n/a n/a 
			 9 Regiment Army Air Corps(1) n/a n/a 
			 (1) No unit TI available as these units have not deployed as formed units within the period specified. 
		
	
	The shortest and average tour intervals (based on operational deployments between 1 April 2004 and 1 April 2007) for the three RAF Regiments listed, is given in the following table:
	
		
			  Months 
			  Unit  Shortest tour interval  Average tour interval 
			 2 Squadron of the Royal Air Force Regiment 12 12.5 
			 15 squadron of the Royal Air Force Regiment 11 12 
			 51 squadron of the Royal Air Force Regiment 10 11

Armed Forces: Horses

John Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many horses the Royal Navy owns; and what the total estimated cost is of keeping them;
	(2)  how many horses are stabled at the Royal Navy's expense but not owned by them; and what the total annual cost was in 2005-06.

Derek Twigg: The Royal Navy does not own any horses. The Royal Navy and Royal Marine Equestrian Association owns one show jumping team horse and seven polo ponies, and the Saddle Club owns an additional five horses. All horses and ponies were purchased and maintained from non-public funds.
	There are no horses stabled at the Royal Navy's expense.

Armed Forces: Social Security Benefits

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers claim  (a) tax credits and (b) other benefits.

Derek Twigg: The claiming of tax credits and other benefits by Service personnel is a private matter between individuals and the relevant Government Department. The Ministry of Defence does not hold records on the numbers of service personnel claiming tax credits and other benefits.

Armed Forces: USA

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many incidents of friendly fire by American military personnel on British servicemen there have been in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan since 1990; and what the (i) location and (ii) date of each such incident was;
	(2)  how many British service personnel have been  (a) killed and  (b) injured by friendly fire from American military personnel in (i) Iraq, (ii) Afghanistan and (iii) elsewhere in each year since 1990;
	(3)  how many incidents of friendly fire by British military personnel on American servicemen there have been in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan since 1990.

Des Browne: holding answer 19 February 2007
	The information relating to the number of friendly fire incidents involving US and UK military personnel in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere in each year since 1990 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Since 1990, there have been 12 British service personnel killed in friendly fire incidents involving American military personnel in Iraq. There have been no confirmed reports of British service personnel killed in friendly fire incidents involving American military personnel in Afghanistan or elsewhere.

Armed Forces: Vehicles

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the impact of the availability of Snatch land rovers on driver training.

Derek Twigg: There are sufficient snatch land rovers to meet all current training requirements.

Defence Training Review

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the costs of the Defence Training Review he expects to be attributable to private sector funding costs.

Derek Twigg: No main investment decision has yet been taken on the future of the Defence Training Review Programme. It is, therefore, not possible to comment on the apportionment of costs between the authority and private sector funding until the current negotiations have concluded.

Defence Training Review

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proposals his Department has received to establish a Government owned, contractor operated solution to the Defence Training Review; what consideration has been given to this option; and what the likely impact on costs of such a solution would be over the life of the programme.

Derek Twigg: Under the Defence Training Review Programme, proposals have been received from bidding consortia for two distinct packages of training delivery which would operate under a Public Private Partnership arrangement. For Package 1 bids were placed by MC3 and METriX; for Package 2 by Holdfast and METriX.
	Bidders' solutions were received in October and November 2005. Since then, an extensive and robust evaluation has taken place to ensure that bidders' proposals meet Defence Training requirements and are evaluated on an equitable basis.
	One bidder did provide an unsolicited proposal regarding establishing a Government owned contractor operated solution. However, this proposal did not conform to the requirements of the invitation to negotiate and was provided after formal submission of the recommendations on bidder down select to the approving authority. It would therefore have been inappropriate and contrary to procurement rules to consider this proposal further.

Ex-servicemen

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to promote the availability of the UK armed forces veterans lapel badge.

Derek Twigg: The eligibility to apply for the HM Armed Forces Veterans Badge and UK Merchant Seafarers Veterans badge is advertised on the Veterans Agency website (www.veteransagency.mod.uk). It has also been publicised through government and ex-service organisation publications, through local and national press articles featuring coverage of announcements of extensions of eligibility to apply for the badge and through badge presentation ceremonies. We are also promoting badge presentation ceremonies as a key part of this year's Veterans Day events. The position is kept under review, including considering opportunities to provide further publicity for the scheme.

Falklands Islands

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Ministers will visit the Falkland Islands to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Falklands War.

Derek Twigg: My right hon. Friend the Minister of State will visit the Falkland Islands to take part in events to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Falklands conflict in June. Other Ministers and myself will be alongside veterans in London at the centrepiece of the commemorations to mark the 25th anniversary on Horse Guards Parade on Sunday 17 June. As Minister with responsibility for veterans, I will accompany veterans when they travel to the Islands as part of the South Atlantic Medal Association (1982) pilgrimage in November.

Iraq: Peace Keeping Operations

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many individuals have died whilst detained by the Multinational Forces in Iraq; how many were being held without charge or trial; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many individuals have been held by the British contingent of the Multi-National Force in Iraq but are now not in such custody; how many were held for more than  (a) one week,  (b) one month,  (c) six months,  (d) one year and  (e) two years; how many have (i) been charged, (ii) brought to trial and (iii) died in custody; whether any had British nationality; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Since 1 January 2004, British forces have interned 1,480 people, 118 remain interned and 1,362 have been released. Information on how long each was held could only be provided at disproportionate cost. None of the 1,362 released were brought to trial, charged or died whilst in custody. Readily accessible records indicate that only one of those interned held British nationality: the dual Iraqi-British national still interned.
	I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 11 January 2007,  Official Report, column 713W to my right hon. Friend the Member for Leicester, East (Keith Vaz). It is not appropriate for the MOD to comment on deaths of detainees being held by other nations that make up the Multi-National Force in Iraq.

Iraq: Peace Keeping Operations

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British troops are  (a) based in and  (b) conducting operations in the Iraqi province of (i) Dhi Qar and (ii) Al Muthanna.

Des Browne: holding answer 20 February 2007
	There are no UK troops based in the province of Al Muthanna and a small contingent based in Dhi Qar province to provide part of the command element for the Australian and Romanian Battle Group based there, which is capable of conducting operations in both Al Muthanna and Dhi Qar. I am withholding further details on the precise number of troops as it would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness, or security of our armed forces.

Marines: Manpower

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the total  (a) required and  (b) actual personnel in the (i) 40 Commando, (ii) 42 Commando and (iii) 45 Commando for each year since 1997.

Derek Twigg: The following table shows both the Requirement and Strength for 40 Commando, 42 Commando and 45 Commando. Requirement data broken down by unit are only available from November 1999. The data include both Royal Navy and Royal Marine trained personnel and exclude Full Time Reserve Service and Activated Reservist personnel.
	
		
			   40 Commando  42 Commando  45 Commando 
			  As at 1 April:  Requirement  Strength  Requirement  Strength  Requirement  Strength 
			 1997 n/a 560 n/a 430 n/a 670 
			 1998 n/a 620 n/a 540 n/a 500 
			 1999 n/a 550 n/a 500 n/a 600 
			 2000 680 580 680 480 680 570 
			 2001 680 670 680 610 680 570 
			 2002 680 600 680 540 680 680 
			 2003 690 710 690 680 690 590 
			 2004 690 660 690 670 690 690 
			 2005 690 680 690 670 690 620 
			 2006 700 580 700 630 700 620

Mental Health

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of  (a) soldiers in the Army and  (b) soldiers serving in Iraq have been diagnosed with a mental health condition in the last 12 months.

Derek Twigg: Between 1 October 2005 and 30 September 2006, 792 UK service personnel (regular and reservists) who deployed to Iraq on Operation Telic were diagnosed by the Defence Medical Services at a Department of Community Mental Health (DCMH) with a mental health condition thought to be related to their deployment. We are unable to break this figure down by service as this information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, we are able to break down the number of Army personnel admitted to our independent provider of in-patient mental health treatment. In the period 1 April 2006 to 15 February 2007, 311 personnel were admitted in total, of which 184 were members of the Army.
	MOD has sponsored research by Kings College, London to gain further understanding of the extent of mental health problems encountered by those who have served on Operation Telic. Kings College London published reports in May 2006 which concluded that the overwhelming majority of our servicemen and women are returning from operations in Iraq in good health, and that there has been no significant difference between the mental health of regulars who did deploy to Iraq and of those who did not.
	The study did find that a slightly higher percentage of reservists who served on Telic 1 displayed symptoms of common mental health problems and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than reservists who did not deploy. I announced on 21 November 2006,  Official Report, column 28WS, the start of a new scheme offering assessment and mental healthcare for demobilised reservists to address this.

Mental Health

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 14 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1256-7W, on Mental Health, how many mental health social workers his Department employed in each year since 1997; what the establishment was; where they were based; and how many were uniformed.

Derek Twigg: From 1997 to 31 March 2003, three full-time, professionally qualified, mental health social workers, plus two full-time social work assistants and one specialist administrator, were established and employed at the Duchess of Kent psychiatric hospital (DKPH) at Catterick Garrison. Follow-up support was provided for one year by the two social work assistants.
	With the closure of DKPH on 31 March 2003, and the transfer of inpatient mental healthcare to the Priory Group, the two social work assistant posts and the specialist administrator post were disbanded. One mental health senior social worker (MHSSW) remained in Catterick, to cover the North of England; one was posted to RAF Leuchers to cover Scotland and Northern Ireland; and a third was posted to Tidworth Garrison to cover the rest of England. Army Primary Health took over responsibility and funding for these three posts.
	During the financial year 2004-05 each of the three services agreed to fund the establishment of one further mental health social worker post, bringing the total to six, based at RAF Leuchers (Scotland and NI); Catterick (Northern England); RAF Cranwell (Midlands and Wales); Colchester (London and the East of England); Tidworth, South and Middle England); and Portsmouth, South West.
	For 2005-06-07 the establishment and staff in post have remained the same, except that, due to staff long term sickness, the RAF have funded a locum post at RAF Brize Norton from September 2006 to April 2007.
	It should be noted that the requirement and provision for mental health social workers is kept under constant review. None of these staff are or have been uniformed.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of each type of helicopter there were in the  (a) Army,  (b) Navy and  (c) Royal Air Force in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2007.

Adam Ingram: The number of helicopters in the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Forces, broken down by type, as at 1 April 1997 and 31 January 2007 are shown as follows:
	
		
			  Army  1997  2007 
			 Apache AH 0 67 
			 Lynx Mk 7 & 9 124 112 
			 Gazelle AH 1 167 115 
			 A109 4 4 
		
	
	
		
			  Royal Navy  1997  2007 
			 Lynx Mk 3 and 8 77 73 
			 Sea King Mk 2 13 0 
			 Sea King Mk 4/6 37 37 
			 Sea King Mk 5 17 16 
			 Sea King Mk 6 52 48 
			 Sea King Mk6C 0 5 
			 Sea King Mk 7 0 11 
			 Gazelle HT 2 29 0 
			 Merlin Mk 1 0 42 
		
	
	
		
			  Royal Air Force  1997  2007 
			 Chinook 2/2a 34 40 
			 Merlin Mk 3 0 22 
			 Puma 42 45 
			 Sea King 3/3 A 23 25 
			 Gazelle HT 3 29 0 
			 Wessex 14 0 
		
	
	In compiling these figures it has come to attention that my answer of 4 September 2006,  Official Report, column 1699W, to the hon. Member for Woodspring (Dr. Fox) contained incorrect details. The following table is reproduced with the correct figures:
	
		
			   Army Air Corps  Royal Navy  Royal Air Force  Total 
			 1997-98 295 225 142 662 
			 1998-99 308 128 126 562 
			 1999-2000 301 132 129 562 
			 2000-01 270 134 139 543 
			 2001-02 266 198 149 613 
			 2002-03 294 209 140 643 
			 2003-04 316 210 133 659 
			 2004-05 306 208 133 647 
			 2005-06 310 229 133 672

MOD Police: Colchester

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what effect on costs he expects from reducing the establishment of Ministry of Defence police in Colchester.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 23 January 2007
	The ultimate size, and the costs, of the Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) complement at Colchester has not yet been established.
	Once the reviews have been completed I will write to the hon. Member informing him of their outcome.

Parliamentary Questions

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many written parliamentary questions to his Department in the 2005-06 session were not answered  (a) wholly or  (b) in part on grounds of disproportionate cost;
	(2)  how many written parliamentary questions to his Department in the 2005-06 session were answered with a reply that it had not been possible to reply before prorogation, or similar wording;
	(3)  how many written parliamentary questions to his Department in the 2005-06 session did not receive an answer.

Derek Twigg: Information about the number of written parliamentary questions not answered wholly or in part on grounds of disproportionate cost is not held in the format requested. However, it is a matter of public record and can be found in the  Official Report.
	The number of parliamentary questions that received the answer that it had not been possible to reply before prorogation was 13. According to our records 49 parliamentary questions did not receive a reply in the 2005-06 Session.

Private Boarding Schools

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much is allocated for education grants for private boarding schools for the children of officers in the British Army; and how many children received such funding in each of the last three years.

Derek Twigg: The only year for which we have information separated into officers and other ranks is 2005-06. As at spring term 2005, 4,280 children from Army families were in receipt of continuity education allowance. 2,675 were from Army officers' families and 1,605 from the families of Army non-commissioned officers. The same information for previous years could be provided only at a disproportionate cost due to ongoing work being undertaken to transition all three services from the legacy administration system to the joint personnel administration.

Reserves Mental Health Programme

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Answer of 14 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 1257-8W, on the Reserves Mental Health Programme, if he will place in the Library copies of the guidance and emails sent to GPs.

Derek Twigg: The guidance is available at
	http://www.army.mod.uk/rtmc/rmhp.htm.
	The emails sent to GPs, referred to in my previous reply, were sent on a standard distribution by the Department of Health and provided links to the above website. The Department of Health had articles on the Reserve Mental Health programme in the GP and Practice Team Bulletin (Issue 58—December 2006 - January 2007) and the Chief Medical Officer Update (Issue 46—Winter 2006).

Selly Oak Hospital

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date the military-managed ward at Selly Oak hospital reached initial operating capability; on what date he estimates that it will reach full operating capability; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The Military Managed Ward (MMW) at Selly Oak reached Initial Operating Capability just before Christmas 2006. It provides clinical care by a combined team of military and civilian personnel for military patients whose clinical condition allows for them to be nursed in this ward. There are military managers involved at every level on the MMW, with a Military Ward Manager responsible for all aspects of the military presence on the ward, whether staff, or patient issues, and for liaising with appropriate authorities. The MMW Ward Manager is assisted by three Military Deputy Ward Managers who are responsible for the planning and delivery of patient care.
	An enhanced military nursing structure is in place for this ward comprising military nurses and military health care assistants. Military nursing staff are on duty on every shift on the ward. In addition patients have the support of the Defence Welfare Service and military liaison officers based at the hospital.
	Full operating capability for the MMW is planned to be declared by this summer, subject to successful completion of building works within Ward S4.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Catering Services: House of Commons

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what the policy of the Refreshment Department is on the sourcing of  (a) seasonal and  (b) local produce; and what measures are taken to encourage the development of menus based around such produce.

Nick Harvey: The Refreshment Department recognises the economic, environmental and social advantages of sourcing  (a) seasonal and  (b) local produce as part of its responsible purchasing agenda, but must achieve this within the constraints of the European public procurement regulations, which prevent local positive discrimination between EU members.
	The Department is working closely with its suppliers to increase the awareness of chefs and other food buyers of the seasonality and availability of produce, and the recently appointed executive chef has commenced a programme of reviewing all menus to increase the use of local and seasonal produce. In the absence of a legal definition of "local produce", this is taken by the Refreshment Department to apply to all UK produce. On this basis, almost 100 per cent. of fresh meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy produce is locally sourced, and an estimated 25-30 per cent. of fruit and vegetables when in season.

Energy: Conservation

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what measures are  (a) being taken,  (b) planned and  (c) being considered to increase the energy efficiency of the House of Commons Estate.

Nick Harvey: A range of measures being taken, planned and considered to increase the energy efficiency of the House of Commons estate are as follows:
	 (a) Measures being taken:
	Replacement of old Building Energy Management System controls;
	Replacement of hot water calorifiers with heat exchangers;
	Improvement of the Press Area ventilation;
	Installation of secondary glazing;
	Installation of energy sub metering;
	Purchase of Monitoring and Targeting software; and
	Working with the Carbon Trust.
	 (b) Measures being planned:
	Refurbishment of the plant rooms; and
	Reduction of heating and cooling distribution losses.
	 (c) Measures being considered:
	Installation of roof insulation;
	Draught proofing of windows;
	Installation of some new internal and external lighting;
	Installation of a Combined Heat and Power plant;
	Installation of absorption chillers; and
	Optimisation of the electricity voltage.

Lifts: House of Commons

Jim Dowd: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission if he will take steps to link the control systems of lifts Hop 15 and Hop 77.

Nick Harvey: Lifts HoP 15 and HoP 77 serve the east side of the Palace of Westminster (opposite the Members' Smoking Room on the Principal floor and Strangers Bar on the ground floor). The lifts, while adjacent, have different functions. HoP 77 in addition to being a Members only lift has been converted to be accessible by wheelchairs and serves the ground, Principal, first and second floors. HoP 15 serves the Refreshment Department basement in addition to these floors.
	The controls for both lifts have been linked with an option to operate independently or together (duplex). There are advantages and disadvantages of each mode of operation. In independent mode a specific lift can be called. If, however, the user has no preference, both call buttons could be pressed causing slower service to other floors. In duplex mode the nearest lift is sent, ensuring best service to all floors. During a Division, however, the Members only lift may be called by a non-Member resulting in slower service to Members. Furthermore if the user requires the disabled lift, this may not be the one that arrives.
	Switching between either operation mode is straightforward. The controls are currently set on independent mode to favour Members during a Division and disabled Members, staff and visitors.

Recycling

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what steps are being taken to increase further the amount of  (a) glass,  (b) metal,  (c) plastic and  (d) paper on the parliamentary estate which is recycled.

Nick Harvey: In 2005-06 36 per cent. of the parliamentary estate's waste collected was sent for recycling. A number of steps are being taken to increase recycling of waste such as: increasing awareness; introducing an environmental management system; separating waste; and introducing battery recycling bins. These are as follows:
	 Increasing awareness
	An environmental awareness campaign was started in late 2005 which has included guest speaker presentations, exhibitions, a film show and articles in the inHouse staff magazine. A waste management exhibition is currently being considered for the parliamentary estate.
	 Environmental Management System
	The House of Commons has agreed for an environmental management system to be implemented on its estate and the House of Lords will consider this in the near future. It is intended, as a first step towards implementing this, to run an environment champions programme on the parliamentary estate. This programme will be run with the purpose of reducing energy consumption and increasing waste recycling in the estate's buildings.
	 Separation of Waste
	The waste contractor will shortly be providing a recycling operative on the estate to further separate the waste collected from inside the buildings, since some waste which has been contaminated with other waste cannot be sent for recycling and has to be incinerated instead. The employment of a recycling operative should increase the quantity of waste sent for recycling and decrease the quantity of waste sent for incineration. Any metal which has not been collected on the estate for recycling, is separated from the general waste at the incineration plant and sent for recycling from there.
	 Recycling bins
	Bins for collecting batteries for recycling will be located in each parliamentary estate building soon and more recycling bins will be located in the Palace of Westminster and Refreshment Department outlets.

Solar Power

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what assessment has been made of the potential for the generation of energy from solar panels on the roofs of the House of Commons Estate.

Nick Harvey: No estimates have been made of the potential for the generation of energy from solar panels on the roofs of the parliamentary estate.
	In late 2005, a brief study was conducted to assess the potential for solar photovoltaic (PV) and solar hot water systems on the vast areas of pitched and flat roofs of the Palace of Westminster. The report said that large areas of the roof would be suitable for the installation of either solar PV or hot water systems, but the integration and connection of solar hot water systems to the building's existing hot water services would be "complex, expensive, aesthetically challenging and perhaps be of little benefit given the small quantity of hot water used within the Palace during the summer months". Utilising solar PV systems would provide better value for money but the simple payback period would still be far longer than the expected life of the systems.
	A consultant has recently prepared a report on several renewable energy system options for the Palace of Westminster and this report is currently being considered to determine which systems should be investigated further. A proposal from another consultant to conduct feasibility studies for utilising renewable energy systems in all the parliamentary estate outbuildings has been received and considered and it is expected that these studies will start within the next few months.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departments: Pay

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the total sum of bonuses paid to civil servants in his Department was in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006.

Gareth Thomas: The following tables give the number of non-pensionable bonuses awarded to the Department for International Development staff in each of the last two financial years, together with total cost for each year.
	
		
			  Non-pensionable bonuses awarded to DFID senior civil servants (SCS) 
			   Number of awards  Total cost (£) 
			 2004-05 68 266,750 
			 2005-06 65 377,100 
		
	
	
		
			  Non-pensionable bonuses awarded to DFID staff below the (SCS) 
			   Number of awards  Total cost (£) 
			 2004-05 508 230,600 
			 2005-06 1,106 515,865

Overseas Aid

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he expects to reach the 0.7 per cent. of gross national income aid target by  (a) 2012-13 and  (b) 2013-14; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: holding answer 7 February 2007
	The Government has set a clear timetable for UK official development assistance (ODA) as a proportion of gross national income (GNI) to reach the UN target of 0.7 per cent in 2013.
	ODA is defined by the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and is measured in calendar years. Each year we report our ODA expenditure to the OECD-DAC as a proportion of GNI. Provisional figures are published each year in April for the previous year with final figures published in October.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Bishops Park College

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what assessment the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority has made of the effectiveness of the approach to the curriculum at Bishops Park College;
	(2)  on what factors the decision of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority to select Bishop's Park College as the case study for approaches to organising the curriculum on the secondary curriculum review website were based.

Jim Knight: Bishop's Park College's approach to the curriculum has been shown to be effective in helping to improve staying on rates; reduce the number of exclusions and teenage pregnancies; and increase parental satisfaction. Its 2003 OFSTED inspection report stated that
	"Bishops Park College is a good, highly innovative school, providing good value for money."
	The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority took this into consideration when deciding to include Bishop's Park College on its website, as an example of a school that is taking an innovative approach to curriculum thinking and planning.

Boarding Schools

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the name is of each maintained boarding school or school with boarding houses; in which local authority each school is located; how many pupils are on roll at each; and what percentage of pupils at each  (a) are eligible for free school meals,  (b) have special educational needs,  (c) are from ethnic minorities and  (d) are selected on the basis of (i) academic ability and (ii) aptitude.

Jim Knight: holding answer 19 February 2007
	The available information is shown in the following tables.
	There are currently 32 state maintained mainstream boarding schools in England. The maintained boarding sector includes all ability comprehensive schools, grammar schools and one further education college. Information for the further education college is not included in the table. Some are single sex schools, others are mixed. All pupils follow the national curriculum.
	The Department does not collect information on schools which are partially selective (selecting some of their pupils by academic ability or aptitude). An indicator to show which of the maintained boarding schools are grammar schools (wholly selective) has been provided.
	
		
			  Maintained mainstream boarding schools: number on roll, school meals, special educational needs and ethnic minority information 
			  URN  LA number  Estab number  School name  Local authority  Headcount of pupils( 1)  Total boarders  Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free schools means( 2)  Percentage of pupils with special needs with statements( 3) 
			 103870 332 5400 Old Swinford Hospital Dudley 602 375 0.0 0.2 
			 133554 420 3005 The Five Islands School Isles of Scilly 252 17 0.0 2.0 
			 121694 815 4215 Ripen Grammar School North Yorkshire 813 53 1.6 0.0 
			 110530 825 5404 The Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe Buckinghamshire 1356 68 1.5 0.3 
			 113889 835 4511 Shaftsbury School Dorset 955 (5)— 8.4 1.8 
			 116407 850 4012 The Westgate School Hampshire 1138 31 3.8 0.8 
			 116468 850 4310 Kings' School Hampshire 1682 22 5.2 1.8 
			 120236 855 4002 Burleigh Community College Leicestershire 1296 31 12.1 2.5 
			 110097 870 5401 Reading School Reading 866 67 0.7 0.1 
			 113498 878 4003 Queen Elizabeth's Community College Devon 1538 40 5.0 4.1 
			 115359 881 5443 Colchester Royal Grammar School Essex 764 29 0.6 0.0 
			 116888 886 5416 Cranbrook School Kent 750 242 0.4 0.1 
			 118900 866 5428 Sir Roger Manwood's School Kent 886 46 6.7 0.2 
			 119810 888 5401 Lancaster Royal Grammar School Lancashire 1003 158 1.4 0.9 
			 123589 893 4503 The Thomas Adams School, Wem Shropshire 1324 59 6.5 2.0 
			 123593 894 5400 Adams' Grammar School Telford and Wrekin 784 92 1.1 0.0 
			 112432 909 5405 Dallam School Cumbria 955 54 4.9 1.7 
			 112441 909 5414 Keswick School Cumbria 1069 46 3.6 0.6 
			 117556 919 4614 St George's School Hertfordshire 1137 115 2.2 0.4 
			 117598 919 5427 Hockerill Anglo-European College Hertfordshire 720 238 0.7 0.4 
			 120663 925 4514 Market Rasen De Aston School Lincolnshire 1244 83 6.4 4.1 
			 120696 925 5400 The Skegness Grammar School Lincolnshire 817 63 2.6 0.0 
			 121208 926 5400 Wymondham College Norfolk 1026 536 1.2 0.6 
			 122328 929 4130 Haydon Bridge Community High School and Sports College Northumberland 741 42 5.4 2.4 
			 123235 931 4040 Burford School and Community College Oxfordshire 1155 72 4.3 2.0 
			 123902 933 5400 Sexey's School Somerset 538 288 0.9 0.4 
			 123903 933 5401 Brymore School Somerset 175 137 5.4 6.9 
			 125279 936 4623 Royal Alexandra and Albert School Surrey 642 356 3.0 2.8 
			 125303 936 5403 Gordon's School Surrey 532 160 5.3 3.4 
			 126092 938 4501 Steyning Grammar School West Sussex 2102 67 4.1 2.3 
			 120303 855 4508 Ashby School Leicestershire 1614 34 4.7 3.6 
		
	
	
		
			  URN  LA number  Estab number  School name  Local authority  Percentage of pupils with special needs without statements( 3)  Percentage ethnic minority pupils( 4)  Wholly selective schools 
			 103870 332 5400 Old Swinford Hospital Dudley 12.1 19.6 No 
			 133554 420 3005 The Five Islands School Isles of Scilly 13.1 84.3 No 
			 121694 815 4215 Ripen Grammar School North Yorkshire 1.5 5.2 Yes 
			 110530 825 5404 The Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe Buckinghamshire 5.8 22.2 Yes 
			 113889 835 4511 Shaftsbury School Dorset 14.8 7.3 No 
			 116407 850 4012 The Westgate School Hampshire 13.5 5.0 No 
			 116468 850 4310 Kings' School Hampshire 18.3 6.0 No 
			 120236 855 4002 Burleigh Community College Leicestershire 12.1 26.9 No 
			 110097 870 5401 Reading School Reading 3.6 24.1 Yes 
			 113498 878 4003 Queen Elizabeth's Community College Devon 8.6 3.4 No 
			 115359 881 5443 Colchester Royal Grammar School Essex 1.3 17.5 Yes 
			 116888 886 5416 Cranbrook School Kent 0.0 11.1 Yes 
			 118900 866 5428 Sir Roger Manwood's School Kent 9.5 8.2 Yes 
			 119810 888 5401 Lancaster Royal Grammar School Lancashire 2.1 10.4 Yes 
			 123589 893 4503 The Thomas Adams School, Wem Shropshire 10.1 8.0 No 
			 123593 894 5400 Adams' Grammar School Telford and Wrekin 4.7 15.1 Yes 
			 112432 909 5405 Dallam School Cumbria 11.0 6.8 No 
			 112441 909 5414 Keswick School Cumbria 4.1 4.5 No 
			 117556 919 4614 St George's School Hertfordshire 13.5 16.8 No 
			 117598 919 5427 Hockerill Anglo-European College Hertfordshire 4.4 24.0 No 
			 120663 925 4514 Market Rasen De Aston School Lincolnshire 12.5 4.7 No 
			 120696 925 5400 The Skegness Grammar School Lincolnshire 0.6 4.8 Yes 
			 121208 926 5400 Wymondham College Norfolk 6.5 6.2 No 
			 122328 929 4130 Haydon Bridge Community High School and Sports College Northumberland 13.0 0.8 No 
			 123235 931 4040 Burford School and Community College Oxfordshire 13.3 6.0 No 
			 123902 933 5400 Sexey's School Somerset 6.7 4.6 No 
			 123903 933 5401 Brymore School Somerset 10.3 0.0 No 
			 125279 936 4623 Royal Alexandra and Albert School Surrey 18.5 18.1 No 
			 125303 936 5403 Gordon's School Surrey 12.0 7.9 No 
			 126092 938 4501 Steyning Grammar School West Sussex 6.6 5.6 No 
			 120303 855 4508 Ashby School Leicestershire 6.1 5.3 No 
			 (1) Excludes dually registered pupils.  (2) Includes full-time pupils aged up to (and including) 15 and part-time pupils aged 5 to 15 {inclusive). Includes dually registered and boarding pupils.  (3) Number of pupils with special educational needs with and without statements expressed as a percentage of total pupils on roll.  (4) Number of pupils classified as any other ethnic group than White British expressed as a percentage of all pupils of compulsory school age and above.  (5) Less than 3.   Source:  Schools Census

Children in Care

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many children under the age of five were taken into care in each year ended 31 March since 1990, broken down by  (a) ethnic origin and  (b) age;
	(2)  how many children under five years of age were adopted from care in each year ending 31 March since 1990, broken down by  (a) ethnic origin and  (b) the age at which they entered care .

Parmjit Dhanda: The available information on (i) the number of children under the age of five who were taken into care broken down by ethnic group and broken down by age on starting their first period of care in the year is presented in Table 1; and (ii) the number of children under five years of age who were adopted from care broken down by ethnic group and broken down by age on starting their final period of care in the year is shown in Table 2.
	Tables 1 and 2 are not comparable partly because the ages shown are calculated on different periods of care.
	
		
			  Table 1: Children looked after by local authorities aged under five years who were taken into care during the years ending 31 March 1992 to 31 March 2006, by age on starting the first period of care in the year and by ethnicity( 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)  (England) 
			  Numbers 
			   1991-92( 8)  1992-93  1993-94  1994-95  1995-96  1996-97  1997-98  1998-99 
			 All children looked after aged under five who were taken into care in the year(1, 2) 830 1,900 2,500 2,900 2,900 3,200 3,500 3,600 
			  
			  Age on starting the first period of care In the year( 3) 
			 Under 1 310 730 1,000 1,200 1,200 1,300 1,400 1,600 
			 1 160 330 440 480 490 520 530 550 
			 2 130 270 420 450 440 480 560 510 
			 3 120 280 330 390 390 440 450 510 
			 4 120 250 320 370 360 410 480 420 
			  
			  Ethnicity( 4) 
			 White — — — — — — — — 
			 Mixed — — — — — — — — 
			 Asian or Asian British — — — — — — — — 
			 Black or Black British — — — — — — — — 
			 Other Ethnic Groups — — — — — — — — 
		
	
	
		
			  Numbers 
			   1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 All children looked after aged under five who were taken into care in the year(1, 2) 4,000 3,700 4,000 4,200 4,100 4,200 4,100 
			 
			  Age on starting the first period of care In the year( 3)
			 Under 1 1,900 1,800 1,900 2,000 2,000 2,000 2,100 
			 1 610 530 560 630 580 650 620 
			 2 620 520 570 560 550 540 560 
			 3 450 480 420 510 500 510 450 
			 4 440 390 490 530 440 420 400 
			 
			  Ethnicity( 4)
			 White — 3,100 3,200 3,300 3,200 3,300 3,200 
			 Mixed — 290 460 530 440 450 450 
			 Asian or Asian British — 110 120 140 110 130 120 
			 Black or Black British — 120 200 220 280 270 290 
			 Other Ethnic Groups — 60 50 70 60 50 60 
			 (1) Source: DfES, SSDA903 return which between 1992 and 1997 and since 2004 covered all children looked after by local authorities. SSDA903 covered only a sample of third of children looked after by local authorities between 1998 and 2003. (2) Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short term placements. (3) Only the first occasion on which a child was taken into care in the year has been counted. (4) Information on ethnic origin only started to be collected on 1 April 2000. (5) "Children taken into care" are children who started to be looked after under the following legal statuses: interim or full care orders, and police protection or emergency protection or child assessment orders. They exclude children freed for adoption or for whom a placement order was granted, they exclude children under voluntary accommodation and they also exclude children under youth justice legal statuses. (6) To maintain the confidentiality of each individual child, data at national level are rounded to the nearest 100 if they exceed 1,000 or to the nearest 10 otherwise. Where the number was five or less (other than zero) this has been suppressed and replaced with a *. (7) Historical data may differ from older publications. This is mainly due to the implementation of amendments and corrections sent by some local authorities after the publication date of previous materials. (8) Due to the implementation of the Children Act (1989), figures on children looked after are not available before 14 October 1992 and figures for the year ending 1992 only cover the period from 14 October to 31 March 1992. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Children looked after by local authorities aged under five years who were adopted during the years ending 31 March 1992 to 31 March 2006, by age on starting the final period of care and by ethnicity( 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8)  (England) 
			  Numbers 
			   1991-92( 7)  1992-93  1993-94  1994-95  1995-96  1996-97  1997-98  1998-99 
			 All children looked after aged under five who were adopted in the year(1, 2) 600 1,300 1,100 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,300 1,400 
			  
			  Age on starting the final period of care in the year( 3) 
			 Under 1 430 990 880 810 810 790 1,100 1,100 
			 1 90 220 150 140 140 150 130 180 
			 2 40 90 60 60 50 70 70 60 
			 3 30 30 10 10 10 10 10 10 
			 4 * * * * * * 0 0 
			  
			  Ethnicity( 4) 
			 White — — — — — — — — 
			 Mixed — — — — — — — — 
			 Asian or Asian British — — — — — — — — 
			 Black or Black British — — — — — — — — 
			 Other Ethnic Groups — — — — — — — — 
		
	
	
		
			  Numbers 
			   1999-2000  2000-01( 8)  2001-02( 8)  2002-03( 8)  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 All Children looked after aged under five who were adopted in the year(1, 2) 1,800 2,100 2,200 2,400 2,400 2,500 2,500 
			 
			  Age on starting the final period of care in the year( 3)
			 Under 1 1,400 1,600 1,700 1,900 1,900 2,000 2,000 
			 1 240 320 340 340 350 340 360 
			 2 100 120 180 140 150 170 150 
			 3 10 20 20 10 20 20 20 
			 4 0 0 0 0 * 0 * 
			 
			  Ethnicity( 4)
			 White — 1,800 1,900 2,100 2,000 2,200 2,100 
			 Mixed — 140 200 220 220 250 270 
			 Asian or Asian British — 30 30 40 50 40 40 
			 Black or Black British — 40 60 50 70 50 60 
			 Other Ethnic Groups — 40 30 20 40 30 20 
			 (1) Source:  DfES, SSDA903 return which between 1992 and 1997 and since 2004 covered all children looked after by local authorities. SSDA903 covered only a sample of third of children looked after by local authorities between 1998 and 2003. (2) Figures for children looked after in this table exclude agreed series of short term placements. (3) Only the last period of care in the year on which a child was looked after has been counted. (4) Information on ethnic origin only started to be collected on 1 April 2000. (5) To maintain the confidentiality of each individual child, data at national level are rounded to the nearest 100 if they exceed 1,000 or to the nearest 10 otherwise. Where the number was five or less (other than zero) this has been suppressed and replaced with a *. (6) Historical data may differ from older publications. This is mainly due to the implementation of amendments and corrections sent by some local authorities after the publication date of previous materials. (7) Until 31 March 1991 Statistics were collected on children in care under the legislation that preceded the Children Act. The number of children looked after collected from 14 October 1991, is not directly comparable with the number of children in care under the old legislation. Therefore figures are only shown for 1991-92 onwards. Figures for year 1992 only over the period from 14 October to 31 March 1992. (8) Figures are derived from SSDA 903 return and grossed up against the AD1 return.

Data Protection

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance he has issued to schools on ensuring the security of data at schools.

Jim Knight: Becta provide advice and information for schools and local authorities about security of data, including their legal obligations and responsibilities in relation to the 1998 Data Protection Act, and this includes a checklist for schools.

Education: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was spent on educating children from the Peterborough local education authority area out of area in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The information requested is contained within the following table:
	
		
			  Total expenditure by Peterborough( 1)  local authority on inter-authority recoupment( 2) : 1997-98 to 2005-06( 1,3,4,5) —cash terms figures( 5,6)  as reported by Peterborough( 1 ) local authority as at 12 February 2007 
			  £ 
			   Total expenditure on inter-authority recoupment( 1,2,3,4,5,6) 
			 1997-98(1) — 
			 1998-99 1,117,000 
			   
			 1999-2000(3) 402,000 
			 2000-01 1,190,680 
			 2001-02 1,465,000 
			   
			 2002-03(3,4) — 
			 2003-04 2,058,000 
			 2004-05 2,400,000 
			 2005-06(5) 3,180,000 
			 (1) On 1 April 1998 Cambridgeshire local authority was reorganised and split into Cambridgeshire and Peterborough local authorities and consequently figures are only available for Peterborough local authority from 1998-99 onwards. Cambridgeshire local authority (pre local government reorganisation) reported total expenditure on inter-authority recoupment of £1,081,000 million during the 1997-98 financial year. (2) Total expenditure on inter-authority recoupment comprises of any payments made by Peterborough local authority in respect of services provided by other local authorities. (3) 1999-2000 saw a change in data source when the data collection moved from the RO1 form collected by the ODPM (now the DCLG) to the section 52 form (table 3—School Level information) from the DfES. 2002-03 saw a further break in the time series following the introduction of consistent financial reporting (CFR) to schools and the associated restructuring of the outturn tables. The change in sources is shown by the blank rows. (4) Following the restructuring of the outturn tables in 2002-03, receipts and payments for inter-authority recoupment was not shown separately in that year. However, Peterborough local authority did report net expenditure on inter-authority recoupment of £634,000 for 2002-03. (5) Data are subject to change by the local authority. (6) Figures are rounded to the nearest £000.

Further Education: Learning Disability

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what surveys have been conducted by the Learning and Skills Council into further education provision for adults with learning disabilities; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Learning and Skills Council published a report of a survey 'Impact on Adults with Learning Difficulties and/or Disabilities—Issues from the 2006/07 Planning Round' in February 2007. The survey was conducted to ascertain whether courses for adults with learning difficulties and/or disabilities had been reduced from September 2006 onwards on the basis of funding or inadequacy. The report concluded that changes in provision were targeted on inadequate and poor performing courses and not because of cost cutting measures. The Learning and Skills Council will continue to monitor the situation, and report again later this year.
	This LSC survey shows there has not been any wholesale reduction of provision and that in the majority of cases identified reasons for reductions have been sound and done in consultation with the local LSC and other partners and learners. Alternatives have been sought and provided in the majority of cases. It is not appropriate that learners should receive provision of poor quality that does not offer progression and where they may be learning very little.

Learning and Skills Council for England: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much the Learning and Skills Agency spent on programme expenditure in Peterborough city council area in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The programme expenditure incurred by the Learning and Skills Council at local authority level is not collected by my Department. This is an operational matter for the LSC as they determine the level of funding required at local level to deliver their key priorities and targets. Mark Haysom, the council's Chief Executive, has written to the hon. Member with further information and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
	 Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 19 February 2007:
	I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Question, how much the Learning and Skills Agency spent on programme expenditure in Peterborough City Council area in each year since 2001. I thank you for your enquiry but unfortunately I am unable to provide you with the information you seek.
	There are 47 local offices of the Learning and Skills Council each of which is responsible for the management of a local budget. The key priorities and targets that relate to each of the 47 local offices are not aligned to Local Authority areas. Cambridgeshire LSC includes the Unitary Authority of Peterborough and Cambridgeshire County Council. The LSC contracts out its programme budgets to local providers who deliver both within and across local authority boundaries. Our management information systems therefore do not routinely hold information on programme spend that relates to a single Local Authority area.
	We can, with relative ease, identify what spend against a specific budget line has been contracted or spent as a whole, or with, a particular provider. However, in the main our provider contracts do not specify that learners or activity must be in specific local authority areas. For example some of our providers may contract with us via an office in Peterborough but may utilise their funds to deliver activity outside the Unitary Authority area of Peterborough. In order for us to track where activity occurred we would need to analyse our learner data and work out costings for each learner. This would be considerably time-consuming, particularly for the requested period of six years. I fully appreciate why this information would be of interest to you but we do not gather or hold information in this format.
	We are able to determine total programme funding spend within the Cambridgeshire LSC area. If you would like this information we will be able to provide it, but we would expect a task such as this, which extends to a period before the inception of the LSC, to take approximately four weeks. We would also have to buy in additional resources to review and analyse archived financial records so as to provide a response.
	Should you wish us to proceed with your enquiry, or discuss your request further, please contact: Dr Jon Nay, Area Director, Cambridgeshire (Jon.Nay@lsc.gov.uk, 01733 895202).

Literacy: Curriculum

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his Department's policy is on teaching children to write in  (a) standard and  (b) non-standard English at key stages (i) 3 and (ii) 4.

Jim Knight: During key stages 3 and 4 students should learn to write correctly, using different formats, layouts and ways of presenting their work. Students should be taught about the variations in written standard English and how they differ from spoken language, and to distinguish varying degrees of formality, selecting appropriately for a task. Students should be taught to use the full range of punctuation marks correctly and be taught the principles of sentence grammar and whole-text cohesion and use this knowledge in their writing.

Literature: Curriculum

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his assessment is of the importance of the study of Shakespeare in the key stage 3 English curriculum.

Jim Knight: We are committed to the study of Shakespeare. The national curriculum programmes of study for English require that pupils between the ages of 11 and 14 study the works of a range of major writers and poets, including one play by Shakespeare. There are no plans to change this requirement.

Paedophilia

Brian Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many convicted child sex offenders are on list 99; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Johnson: List 99 is a list of individuals whose employment in education and with children has been barred or restricted by the Secretary of State. It contains for each individual included the person's name, date of birth, national insurance number and, in the case of teachers, a teacher reference number. As the then Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Member for Bolton, West, reported to the House on 19 January 2006 there were 4,045 individuals on List 99,  Official Report column 967. A significant proportion of these have been barred as a result of child sexual offences. However, people may also be placed on the List because they have committed other relevant offences; as a result of allegations involving misconduct; or, on the grounds of ill health. The information about offences or allegations that have led to a person being barred or restricted by the Secretary of State is not included in List 99. The identification of all the cases where a person has been placed on the List as a result of a conviction for a sexual offence against a child would require each of the 4045 case files to be checked could be undertaken only at disproportionate cost.
	A check against List 99 will reveal to a prospective employer the fact that a person is barred or restricted from relevant employment. A standard or enhanced Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check will reveal the barred status of an individual to an employer together with details of any criminal convictions.
	I intend to make a further statement in the next few weeks in which I will update the House on List 99 and on developments concerning safeguarding.

Private Education

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  pursuant to paragraph 3.1 of the consultation letter from his Department on changes to the definition of full-time education in independent schools, what difficulties the Department has experienced in relation to changing patterns of schooling which necessitated the review; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  under what statutory powers a major provider of a child's education may be treated as if it is providing a full-time education and required to register as an independent school; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: holding answer 20 February 2007
	There is no legal definition of full-time education in relation to independent schools. This Department has always encouraged independent schools to consider the guidance for maintained schools set out in circular 7/90. However both DfES and Ofsted receive many calls from education providers offering increasingly varied patterns of education, and we feel that this advice no longer serves either the Department or independent education providers well. Our aim is to provide clear guidance that ensures that education organisations that offer all, or almost all, of a child's education, register as independent schools.

Pupils: Sexual Orientation

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to combat bullying of children who are gay, lesbian or transgendered in schools.

Jim Knight: The Department's general guidance on bullying 'Don't Suffer in Silence' includes a section flagging up the need for schools to tackle bullying motivated by race, gender, sexual orientation or disability. The Department has also issued the Anti-Bullying Charter which prompts schools to consider if they work with all staff and outside agencies to identify different sorts of bullying, including homophobic and racist bullying.
	The Department is currently drawing up web-based guidance for schools which will look more specifically at how to prevent and tackle homophobic bullying. In addition to looking specifically at issues surrounding sexuality, the guidance will also look at the importance of avoiding gender stereotyping in schools. We have commissioned Stonewall and Educational Action Challenging Homophobia (EACH) to produce the guidance and are consulting key stakeholders on the form and content of the document. We intend to issue the guidance later this year and will follow this up with a series of regional seminars for schools.

Ridings School

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures the Ridings School in Calderdale is taking to raise its standards; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: A report of the recent inspection of the Ridings School has not yet been published by Ofsted. The local authority will be expected to respond to the specific findings of that report when published with plans to secure immediate improvements in provision at the school and to improve the longer term prospects for provision for children in the local area.

School Leavers: Romford

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students within Romford constituency left key stage four with five or more A*-C GCSE or equivalent qualifications in 2005/06.

Jim Knight: 449 pupils (63.4 per cent.) in maintained schools in the Romford constituency achieved five or more GCSEs at grades A*-C at the end of Key Stage 4 in 2005/06.

Schools: Hendon

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average level of school  (a) attendance and  (b) exclusions in Hendon was in the last period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The information requested is shown in the tables.
	Data on exclusions are collected retrospectively. Exclusions data for 2004-05 academic year were published in June 2006.
	There are quality issues with data on permanent exclusions. The Department has carried out checking exercises in each year to confirm the overall number of permanent exclusions. However, this only confirmed the number of exclusions in each local authority. Figures provided in this response relating to permanent exclusions are as reported by schools and are known to be incomplete.
	
		
			  Maintained primary and secondary schools( 1) : number of exclusions, Hendon Parliamentary Constituency, 2004-05 
			   Maintained primary schools  Maintained secondary schools 
			   Permanent exclusions( 2)  Fixed period exclusions  Permanent exclusions( 2)  Fixed period exclusions 
			   Number  Percentage( 3)  Number  Percentage( 3)  Number  Percentage( 3)  Number  Percentage( 3) 
			 2004-05 # # 20 0.20 19 0.27 539 7.55 
			 # = less than three or a rate based on less than three. (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) There are known quality issues with permanent exclusion data presented here. The number of permanent exclusions are unconfirmed and known to be incomplete. (3) The number of exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of all pupils (excluding dually registered pupils).  Source: Schools' Census and Termly Exclusions Survey 
		
	
	
		
			  Maintained primary and secondary schools( 1) : absence data, Hendon parliamentary constituency 2005-06 
			   Percentage of half days missed 
			   Authorised absence  Unauthorised absence 
			 Maintained primary 5.40 0.69 
			 Maintained secondary 5.78 1.10 
			 Total 5.56 0.87 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed.  Note: Unauthorised absence is absence without leave from a teacher or other authorised representative of the school. This includes all unexplained or unjustified absences, such as lateness, holidays during term time not authorised by the school, absence where reason is not yet established and truancy.

Schools: Special Measures

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools  (a) entered special measures and  (b) left special measures in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: This question is a matter for Ofsted and HMCI Christine Gilbert will be responding directly to the hon. Member. A copy of the reply will be placed in the Library of both Houses.

Secondary Education: Admissions

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what criteria the Schools Adjudicator will use when taking decisions under the Education (New Secondary School Proposals) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2007.

Jim Knight: The Education Act 2005 requires that the School Organisation Committee and Schools Adjudicator must have regard to guidance issued by the Secretary of State when deciding secondary school competition proposals. The relevant guidance was issued in August 2006 and is available on the Department's School Organisation website. The guidance sets out a range of factors that must be considered including: the effect on local standards and contribution to school improvement; whether the proposed admission arrangements are fair and equitable; the extent of parental demand for the type of school; the impact on local diversity; cost effectiveness; the views of interested parties; the contribution to local community cohesion and also the needs of families and the wider community. The guidance also makes it clear that the decision maker must balance the different strengths of all the proposals and decide which best meets the criteria for a new school overall and also the specific requirements for the new school.

Secondary Education: Admissions

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills on what criteria the Schools Adjudicator was appointed; and what qualifications are required of the post-holder.

Jim Knight: Schools adjudicators operate independently of the Department but are appointed by the Secretary of State on the basis of a fair and open competition in a process overseen by the Public Appointments Unit. There are no specific qualifications required for the post of schools adjudicator. Applicants are considered on the basis of their experience and skills. The criteria used to select adjudicators are: a wide experience of education or education planning at senior level; the ability to act independently and impartially; keen analytical skills; and highly developed communication and presentational skills.

Secondary Education: Admissions

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the Schools Adjudicator will publish all materials relevant to his decision-making process once he has made a decision under the Education (New Secondary School Proposals) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: All decisions taken by the schools adjudicator are published on the Office of the Schools Adjudicator website and include the full details of the determination and reasons for the final decision. Under the Education (New Secondary School Proposals) (England) Regulations 2007 the schools adjudicator is required to inform the proposers, the local authority, all objectors (except where there is a petition signed by more than one objector), the Secretary of State and local School Organisation Committee of his decision on school competition proposals.

Secondary Education: Admissions

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether his Department has produced guidelines for the Schools Adjudicator relating to the Education (New Secondary School Proposals) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2007.

Jim Knight: No specific guidance has been issued to the schools adjudicator in relation to the Education (New Secondary School Proposals) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2007. Where proposals for new secondary schools are referred to the adjudicator under the regulations the adjudicator will determine the proposals in accordance with the guidance to decision makers which applies to the consideration of all secondary school competitions proposals.

Secondary Education: Assessments

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will place in the Library a copy of the consultation document for the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority secondary curriculum review.

Jim Knight: Copies of the revised programmes of study and modified level descriptions on which the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority are consulting, along with the consultation questionnaire, have been placed in the House Library.

Social Workers

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many social workers there are in England.

Ivan Lewis: I have been asked to reply.
	The number of people employed by local authorities who are classified as social workers as at 30 September 2005 is 47,300 of which 24,400 are classed as working with children and 22,900 working with adults. In addition there will be other people who are registered with the General Social Care Council as social workers but who are not captured by the survey.

Teaching Methods

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment  (a) his Department and  (b) the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority has made of the effectiveness of (i) constructivist, (ii) Piagetian developmentally appropriate, (iii) whole language and (iv) direct instruction approaches to learning.

Jim Knight: The Department has made no formal assessment of the effectiveness of these different approaches in the abstract. When offering guidance on teaching approaches to use for specific areas of learning, we always seek to use the approach or approaches most suited to those areas.

Truancy

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many unauthorised absences from schools in  (a) Skelmersdale and  (b) West Lancashire there were in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many unauthorised absences were recorded in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in West Lancashire in each year from 1997 to 2006.

Jim Knight: The percentage of half days missed due to unauthorised absence in Skelmersdale North and Skelmersdale South administrative wards and West Lancashire parliamentary constituency in each year since 1997 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage of half days missed in maintained primary schools( 1)  due to unauthorised absence( 2) 
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Skelmersdale North and Skelmersdale South 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.3 
			 West Lancashire 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.3 
			 England 0.50 0.49 0.47 0.49 0.45 0.43 0.41 0.43 0.45 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage of half days missed in maintained secondary schools( 1)  due to unauthorised absence( 2) 
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Skelmersdale North and Skelmersdale South 1.5 1.8 1.3 1.0 1.3 2.4 1.8 2.1 1.8 
			 West Lancashire 0.7 0.9 0.7 0.6 0.8 1.2 0.9 1.1 0.9 
			 England 1.10 1.07 1.04 1.07 1.09 1.07 1.13 1.23 1.20 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Due to local government reorganisation, regional figures are not available prior to 1998.  Note: Unauthorised absence is absence without leave from a teacher or other authorised representative of the school. This includes all unexplained or unjustified absences, such as lateness, holidays during term time not authorised by the school, absence where reason is not yet established and truancy.

Young People: Unemployment

Alan Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many young people were not in education, employment or training in each local authority area in the latest year for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The following table gives the number of 16 to 18-year-olds not in education, employment or training (NEET) by local authority in England, averaged for the period November 2005 to January 2006.
	Data are drawn from the operational client management systems maintained by Connexions services. It only includes those people known to the service (about 85 per cent. of the population); some young people who attended independent schools or were at school outside England are excluded. The age relates to those of calendar year age 16-18 on the date of measurement.
	These NEET measures are those used for setting and monitoring local authority NEET targets. The definition differs from that used to measure the national departmental PSA NEET target. Along with not covering the entire population, the Connexions NEET measure excludes those on gap years, those in custody and those undertaking voluntary work. The PSA measure is for academic rather than calendar age 16-18.
	
		
			  Percentage of 16 to 18-year-olds not in employment, education or training (NEET), November 2005-January 2006 
			  Local education authorities  Estimated number NEET  Percentage NEET 
			 Camden 440 8.9 
			 Greenwich 880 12.2 
			 Hackney 760 16.1 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 450 15.9 
			 Islington 650 10.5 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 190 9.5 
			 Lambeth 790 15.3 
			 Lewisham 660 9.1 
			 Southwark 770 14.5 
			 Tower Hamlets (inc. City of London) 870 12.6 
			 Wandsworth 460 6.9 
			 Westminster, City of 380 8.2 
			 Barking and Dagenham 720 12.5 
			 Barnet 600 6.2 
			 Bexley 610 8.2 
			 Brent 400 5.4 
			 Bromley 550 5.5 
			 Croydon 940 9.2 
			 Ealing 530 7.7 
			 Enfield 840 8.3 
			 Haringey 730 11.6 
			 Harrow 370 5.5 
			 Havering 650 7.2 
			 Hillingdon 780 7.9 
			 Hounslow 530 7.2 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames 210 3.9 
			 Merton 220 7.7 
			 Newham 880 9.8 
			 Redbridge 580 6.5 
			 Richmond-upon-Thames 200 4.3 
			 Sutton 380 5.3 
			 Waltham Forest 550 6.5 
			 Birmingham 4,620 14.3 
			 Coventry 1,000 9.1 
			 Dudley 930 8.4 
			 Sandwell 1,050 10.6 
			 Solihull 870 9.1 
			 Walsall 960 10.3 
			 Wolverhampton 1,020 11.4 
			 Knowsley 700 12.4 
			 Liverpool 2,080 12.4 
			 St. Helens 730 12.2 
			 Sefton 870 8.3 
			 Wirral 1,180 9.7 
			 Bolton 1,140 10.8 
			 Bury 570 8.1 
			 Manchester 1,870 12.0 
			 Oldham 710 7.4 
			 Rochdale 800 10.4 
			 Salford 720 9.7 
			 Stockport 600 6.4 
			 Tameside 720 8.3 
			 Trafford 480 6.2 
			 Wigan 1,160 10.1 
			 Barnsley 980 13.4 
			 Doncaster 1,250 11.8 
			 Rotherham 980 9.9 
			 Sheffield 1,790 10.8 
			 Bradford 1,880 11.6 
			 Calderdale 650 9.5 
			 Kirklees 1,430 9.6 
			 Leeds 2,530 10.4 
			 Wakefield 1,290 11.6 
			 Gateshead 830 13.6 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 1,200 10.4 
			 North Tyneside 720 11.2 
			 South Tyneside 700 13.8 
			 Sunderland 1,390 13.6 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 310 5.3 
			 Bristol 1,030 9.3 
			 North Somerset 270 4.8 
			 South Gloucestershire 460 5.5 
			 Hartlepool 360 10.0 
			 Middlesbrough 880 15.7 
			 Redcar And Cleveland 600 10.8 
			 Stockton on Tees 720 9.9 
			 Kingston upon Hull 1,520 13.9 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 500 5.5 
			 North East Lincolnshire 660 10.0 
			 North Lincolnshire 500 8.1 
			 North Yorkshire 870 4.9 
			 York 360 5.2 
			 Bedfordshire 930 7.3 
			 Luton 600 8.6 
			 Buckinghamshire 550 3.9 
			 Milton Keynes 590 7.8 
			 Derbyshire 1,700 8.2 
			 Derby 840 9.6 
			 Dorset 660 6.0 
			 Poole 300 6.6 
			 Bournemouth 360 8.1 
			 Durham 2,100 13.3 
			 Darlington 370 9.1 
			 East Sussex 1,200 8.1 
			 Brighton and Hove 750 10.7 
			 Hampshire 2,010 4.8 
			 Portsmouth 540 11.1 
			 Southampton 710 10.4 
			 Leicestershire 1,200 6.4 
			 Leicester 1,250 10.6 
			 Rutland 10 0.9 
			 Staffordshire 1,960 7.4 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 1,380 15.7 
			 Wiltshire 650 5.7 
			 Swindon 120 6.1 
			 Bracknell Forest 250 8.6 
			 Royal Windsor/Maidenhead 180 5.0 
			 West Berkshire 300 6.4 
			 Reading 560 10.7 
			 Slough 410 9.3 
			 Wokingham 230 6.1 
			 Cambridgeshire 970 5.8 
			 Peterborough 680 10.5 
			 Cheshire 1,350 5.9 
			 Halton 510 11.2 
			 Warrington 500 7.8 
			 Devon 1,310 6.2 
			 Plymouth 830 8.2 
			 Torbay 280 6.0 
			 Essex 3,530 8.6 
			 Southend 560 8.0 
			 Thurrock 530 9.2 
			 Herefordshire 370 7.0 
			 Worcestershire 1,070 6.5 
			 Kent 2,930 6.3 
			 Medway Towns 820 8.1 
			 Lancashire 3,080 8.1 
			 Blackburn 630 10.8 
			 Blackpool 650 12.4 
			 Nottinghamshire 1,290 4.9 
			 Nottingham 940 9.6 
			 Shropshire 460 5.5 
			 Telford and Wrekin 520 8.9 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 1,210 7.1 
			 Cumbria 1,090 6.7 
			 Gloucestershire 1,190 6.0 
			 Hertfordshire 1,830 5.1 
			 Isle of Wight 240 5.5 
			 Lincolnshire 1,310 6.0 
			 Norfolk 1,870 7.5 
			 Northamptonshire 1,830 8.3 
			 Northumberland 950 9.6 
			 Oxfordshire 900 4.9 
			 Somerset 860 5.3 
			 Suffolk 1,800 8.5 
			 Surrey 1,040 3.5 
			 Warwickshire 1,040 6.2 
			 West Sussex 1,090 4.7 
			 England 134,800 8.2 
			  Note: Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, and Tower Hamlets and City of London cannot be separated.  Source: Connexion Services

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Big Lottery Fund

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been  (a) committed and  (b) distributed by the Big Lottery Fund on projects relating to (i) health, (ii) education and (iii) the environment since its creation.

Richard Caborn: We are not able to supply the information in the format requested as many of the projects cover two or more areas of the Fund's statutory remit.

New Opportunities Fund

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money has been  (a) committed and  (b) distributed by the New Opportunities Fund since its creation.

Richard Caborn: Information up to 31 March 2006 on how much money has been committed and distributed by the New Opportunities Fund since its creation can be found in the New Opportunities Fund Annual Accounts, copies of which were presented to Parliament.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Local Area Agreements: East Sussex

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress her Department has made on implementing local area agreements in the East Sussex area; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The Government entered into a local area agreement with East Sussex in March 2006.
	The agreement can be found via the IDeA website at:
	http://www.idea-knowledge.gov.uk/idk/aio/4713907

Local Area Agreements: Environment Protection

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she is taking to incorporate environmental issues within local area agreements.

Phil Woolas: The Government are committed to ensuring that environmental issues are addressed at all levels, including the local level. We want to ensure that, where local area agreements can contribute to the delivery of the Government's and local areas' environmental objectives, they do so. Many local areas have already chosen to include targets relating to environmental issues in their local area agreements. Local area agreements have already facilitated enhanced partnership working between local bodies of the type necessary to ensure that environmental issues are addressed effectively and in partnership. The duties on local authorities and their local partners proposed in the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill will further facilitate such joint working, including by making local area agreements the single mechanism for central and local government to agree targets to reflect the key priorities for improvement in each local area.

Social Housing

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) one bed,  (b) two bed,  (c) three bed and  (d) four or more bed units of social housing were completed in each year since 2000 in each London borough.

Yvette Cooper: Regional estimates on the proportion of new dwellings by bedroom and tenure in London are published on the Communities and Local Government website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/65/Table252_id1156065.xls
	A table presenting the information in the aforementioned link has been placed in the Library of the House.
	It is not possible to produce reliable estimates at 'borough' level from the information held centrally.

Social Housing: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) one bedroom,  (b) two bedroom,  (c) three bedroom and  (d) four bedroom or more properties for social housing were built in the London Borough of Bexley in each of the last five years.

Yvette Cooper: Regional estimates on the proportion of new dwellings by bedroom and tenure in London are published on the Communities and Local Government website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/65/Table252_id1156065.xls
	A table presenting the information in the aforementioned link has been placed in the Library of the House.
	It is not possible to produce reliable estimates at 'borough' level from the information held centrally.

Supporting People

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Supporting People budget funds befriending schemes.

Phil Woolas: Befriending schemes are not a specific classification upon which Supporting People (SP) data is collected. However, of the 28,367 SP funded services that reported data (as at the end of September 2006), 72 per cent. said that they provide "Emotional support, counselling and advice" and 52 per cent. reported providing support in "Developing social skills/behaviour management".
	The Supporting People grant must be used for the purpose of providing or contributing to the provision of welfare services to sustain or enable vulnerable people to live independently in their own home or community and must be spent in accordance with Supporting People grant conditions. The programme is administered at the local level and services commissioned and delivered in line with the local needs and priorities as set out in local SP five-year strategies.

Supporting People

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department offers to Supporting People teams on the support which should be made available to  (a) older and  (b) disabled people who need help with shopping.

Phil Woolas: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not set out guidance for authorities' Supporting People (SP) teams on the help and support that should be provided to service users. It is for administering authorities to decide at local level what support and services are made available to best meet the local needs and priorities that they have identified in their local five-year SP strategies.
	All administering authorities must have regard to the relevant SP grant conditions when deciding whether SP funding can be used to pay for services. These grant conditions do not allow SP funding to be used for statutory services that authorities have a duty to provide. They do not preclude administering authorities from considering any eligible scheme that could meet their local needs.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Bank Services

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the reasons are for the exclusion of  (a) debit and  (b) charge card transactions from protection under the Consumer Credit Acts 1974 and 2006.

Ian McCartney: holding answer 8 February 2007
	The purpose of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, as amended by the Consumer Credit Act 2006 is to provide for consumer protection in relation to the provision of credit and hire purchase transactions. A debit card is purely a payment mechanism, not a vehicle for the extension of credit and thus falls outside the scope of the Act. Similarly, a charge card does not provide credit as, although it enables the cardholder to defer payment for goods and services, the full balance must be settled each month.
	The banking industry's own code of practice, the Banking Code, sets standards of good banking practice in relation to debit cards and makes reference to charge cards. Compliance with the Code is independently monitored by the Banking Code Standards Board.

Departments: Official Cars

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many vehicles belonging to his Department were  (a) lost and  (b) stolen in each year since 1997; and what the (i) make and model and (ii) value was of each vehicle.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department does not own any vehicles.

Heating: Conservation

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with Ministers in the Department of Communities and Local Government on  (a) the role electric heating and hot water appliances will play in the Government's policy for a low-carbon and sustainable energy future and  (b) the relationship between housing and energy strategies;
	(2)  what consideration he has given to electric heating as part of the UK's future energy framework;
	(3)  what discussions he has had with manufacturers of electric heating products on the low-carbon heating solutions offered by electric heating;
	(4)  what assessment his Department has made of the long-term low-carbon sustainability of electric heating compared with other sources; and if he will make a statement;

Jim Fitzpatrick: Electric heating is one of the more expensive heating fuels. This has an impact on fuel poverty, with the recent increases in electricity prices contributing to an increase in fuel poverty. Current fuel poverty policies do not replace functioning electric central heating, so this has not been mentioned in the response.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the effect of fluctuations in the commercial revenues of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority on its core programme of work; and what account is taken of such fluctuations when determining its budget settlements;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the commercial revenues of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority for the 2007-08 financial year.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I refer to the answer which I gave the hon. Member for Copeland on 26 January 2007, Official Report, column 2064W.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Blood Transfusions

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many blood transfusions were required in the Province in each of the last 10 years.

Paul Goggins: Information on the number of patients receiving a blood transfusion each year is not available. However, the number of units of red blood cells issued from the Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service to all hospitals in Northern Ireland over the last 10 years are detailed in the following table.
	
		
			  Calendar Year  Units of red cells 
			 1995 61,237 
			 1996 63,531 
			 1997 66,219 
			 1998 67,139 
			 1999 67,990 
			 2000 63,641 
			 2001 63,265 
			 2002 62,627 
			 2003 64,511 
			 2004 62,712 
			 2005 60,410 
			 2006(1) 57,234 
			 (1)Figures for the entire calendar year 2006 are not currently available. Figures are available for part of 2006, and these have been projected to provide an estimate of the number of units of red blood cells issued in 2006.  Source: Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service. 
		
	
	The number of units transfused per patient varies widely but studies have indicated that the average transfusion episode involves approximately three units of red cells per patient.

Children: Obesity

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in determining the level of childhood obesity in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: In preparing the Fit Futures: Focus on Food, Activity and Young People Strategy, which has a specific focus on childhood obesity and in order to measure progress against the relevant public service agreement and investing for health targets, information is gathered from the Child Health System in each of the four Health and Social Services Boards in Northern Ireland. Details relating to the percentage of Primary 1 children (aged 54 months to 66 months) in Northern Ireland who were overweight or obese is presented in the following table.
	
		
			  Northern Ireland—Children aged approx 5 years 
			1997-98  1999-2000  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Male Overweight 11 13 14 14 14 
			  Obese 3 4 5 5 5 
			 Female Overweight 15 19 18 20 19 
			  Obese 5 6 7 7 6 
			 NI Overweight 13 16 16 17 17 
			  Obese 4 5 6 6 5 
			  Source: Child Health System (NI) 1997-2005, the figures above are calculated using the International Standard measurement for Obesity. 
		
	
	The collection of this data is now embedded in the Inequalities Monitoring System and is subject to annual updates.
	In addition, the NI Health and Social Wellbeing Survey 2005 has recently been published and for the first time the survey has collected data relating to the height and weight of children aged 2-15 years. Using the International Standard measurement for Obesity approximately one in 10 (8 per cent.) children were obese, and just over one in four (26 per cent.) were either overweight or obese.

Citizenship: Northern Ireland

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland; how many applications for British naturalisation there were from people resident in Northern Ireland in 2006.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 19 February 2007
	I have been asked to reply.
	In 2006 there were about 270 naturalisation applications from people residing in Northern Ireland.
	These data have not been provided under the national statistics protocols. They were derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.

Civil Service

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Civil Service jobs have been relocated from the Greater Belfast area to each of the 12 constituencies in Northern Ireland, excluding North Down, Foyle and the four Belfast constituencies, in each of the last two years.

David Hanson: No Civil Service jobs have been relocated from the Greater Belfast area to any of the 12 constituencies in Northern Ireland, excluding North Down, Foyle and the four Belfast constituencies, in the last two years.

Departmental Expenditure

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department spent on buying, operating and supporting  (a) all commercial software products and  (b) software products produced by Microsoft in each of the last three years.

Paul Goggins: The following table provides details of the expenditure by the NIO on buying, operating and supporting commercial software products. The figures have been produced on a financial year basis. It has not been possible to identify a specific breakdown for Microsoft products relating to 2003-04 and therefore an overall figure has been provided.
	
		
			  £ 
			   2003-2004  2004-2005  2005-2006 
			 All commercial software products — 226,843 392,329 
			 Software products produced by Microsoft — 314,110 381,470 
			 Total 592,363 768,440 773,779

Departmental Staff

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many temporary employees were contracted to work for his Department in 2005-06; and what the total cost of such employees was in  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 1997-98.

Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Office employed a total of 59 temporary staff throughout 2005-06 at a total cost of £327,993.19.
	Information on the cost of temporary staff employed throughout 1997-98 is not readily available and could be obtained (compiled) only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Staff

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what role was undertaken by the casuals referred to on page 142 of the Department's annual report.

Paul Goggins: The casuals referred to on page 142 of the Department's annual report were employed by the Northern Ireland Office to undertake various general administrative duties. A breakdown of the exact duties undertaken is not available.

Departments: Equal Opportunities

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps his Department has taken to implement the Race Equality Duty since 2000.

Peter Hain: The main functions of the Northern Ireland Office relate to the provision of constitutional and security issues as they relate to Northern Ireland. The Race Relations Act 1976 (Statutory Duties) Order 2001 does not extend to Northern Ireland, however as a Whitehall Department, we do have employment functions in our London Office.
	In Northern Ireland, Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, requires public authorities to have due regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity and regard to the desirability of promoting good relations. These duties ensure that equality issues, including race, are integral to the whole range of public policy decision making. The NIO equality scheme, approved by the Northern Ireland Equality Commission in November 2001, set out how the Department proposed to fulfil those duties with regard to all of its policies and functions and the Northern Ireland Office reports on progress under section 75 annually to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.
	The NIO equality scheme is due for revision later this year and any additional measures which may be needed to meet the requirements of employment within the Race Relations Act will be considered as part of the review.
	A copy of the Northern Ireland Office equality scheme is available on the Northern Ireland Office website at www.nio.gov.uk and the racial equality strategy for Northern Ireland 2005- 10 and annual action plan is available to view or download at www.ofmdfmni.gov.uk.

Departments: Equal Opportunities

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps his Department  (a) has taken and  (b) plans to take to ensure that it and related bodies are in compliance with the gender equality duty in the Equality Act 2006 by the April 2007 deadline.

Peter Hain: The main functions of the Northern Ireland Office relate to the provision of constitutional and security issues as they relate to Northern Ireland.The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 (Public Authorities) (Statutory Duties) Order 2006 (No. 2930) does not extend to Northern Ireland; however as a Whitehall Department, we do have employment functions in our London office.
	In Northern Ireland Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 requires public authorities to have due regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity and regard to the desirability of promoting good relations. These duties ensure that equality issues, including gender, are integral to the whole range of public policy decision making. The NIO Equality Scheme, approved by the Northern Ireland Equality Commission in November 2001, set out how the Department proposed to fulfil those duties with regard to all of its policies and functions and the Northern Ireland Office reports on progress under section 75 annually to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.
	The NIO Equality Scheme is due for revision later this year and any additional measures which may be needed to meet the requirements of employment within the Sex Discrimination Order will be considered as part of the review.
	A copy of the Northern Ireland Office Equality Scheme is available on the Northern Ireland Office website: www.nio.gov.uk and the Gender Equality Strategy for Northern Ireland for 2006 to 2016 is available to view or download at:
	http://www.ofmdfm.gov.uk/genderequalitystrategy2006-2016.pdf

Departments: Furniture

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many items of furniture were  (a) lost and  (b) stolen from his Department in each year since 1997; and what the value was of those items in each year.

Peter Hain: The Northern Ireland Office, excluding its agencies and NDPBs, has had no items of furniture reported as being  (a) lost or  (b) stolen from the Department in each year since 1997.

Departments: Official Cars

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many vehicles belonging to his Department were  (a) lost and  (b) stolen in each year since 1997; and what the (i) make and model and (ii) value was of each vehicle.

Peter Hain: The Northern Ireland Office, excluding its agencies and NDPBs, has had no vehicles reported as being  (a) lost or  (b) stolen from the Department in each year since 1997.

Domestic Rates

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the tax liability is under the new discrete capital values system of domestic local taxation for  (a) members of the armed services who permanently reside in Northern Ireland in non-Ministry of Defence accommodation,  (b) members of the armed services who permanently reside in Northern Ireland in Ministry of Defence (MOD) accommodation,  (c) members of the armed services on active duty in Northern Ireland in MOD accommodation,  (d) members of the armed services on active duty in Northern Ireland in non-MOD accommodation and  (e) members of the armed forces who reside in Northern Ireland but are on active duty overseas.

David Hanson: Under the new capital value rating system, all living accommodation situated within a military complex will be treated as non-domestic property and will be valued as part of the parent property, assessed on its rateable net annual value and in the occupation of the Ministry of Defence.
	Domestic property occupied by members of the armed services and their families and situated outside the perimeter of military complexes will be assessed individually for rates based on a capital value assessment and the rate liability will be proportionate to this value, as is the case with other ratepayers. There are no special concessions, discounts or reliefs for service personnel. The Ministry of Defence or the person in residence may be the rateable occupier and therefore liable for rates.

Mental Health Services

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what forms of treatment for depression are available through the NHS in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: Depression is a common disorder of varying severity, which can be treated by a range of services and treatments. Services currently can be accessed in the community, primary and secondary care settings and range from self-help and peer support initiatives to specialist mental health in-patient services.

NHS: Laboratories

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the costs were of operating each health service laboratory in the Province in each of the last five years; and how much was spent on staffing each laboratory.

Paul Goggins: Information on the cost of operating each group of health service laboratories in the service is shown in the following table, for the financial years 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05. Information for previous years is not available.
	
		
			  2004-05 
			  £ 
			   Cost of core services  Cost of other regional services  Total cost of core services and other regional services  Staffing costs of core services 
			 Altnagelvin 6,595,548 — 6,595,548 3,368,834 
			 Belfast Link Labs 21,694,399 7,718,438 29,412,837 11,126,679 
			 Causeway 2,405,764 — 2,405,764 1,151,708 
			 Southern Labs 6,336,866 84,958 6,421,824 3,618,936 
			 Greenpark 1,174,933 — 1,174,933 493,080 
			 Mater 1,493,285 5,646 1,498,931 714,202 
			 Sperrin 2,527,488 — 2,527,488 1,109,057 
			 Ulster 4,757,006 — 4,757,006 2,605,759 
			 United 7,959,043 956 7,959,999 4,144,226 
			 Total 54,944,332 7,809,998 62,754,330 28,332,481 
		
	
	
		
			  2003-04 
			  £ 
			   Cost of core services  Cost of other regional services  Total cost of core services and other regional services  Staffing costs of core services 
			 Altnagelvin 5,980,653 — 5,980,653 2,807,702 
			 Belfast Link Labs 19,742,369 6,776,766 26,519,135 9,716,414 
			 Causeway 2,428,326 — 2,428,326 1,147,787 
			 Southern Labs 6,081,319 67,933 6,149,252 3,402,266 
			 Greenpark 1,221,141 — 1,221,141 548,862 
			 Mater 1,376,354 82,404 1,458,758 641,213 
			 Sperrin 2,414,795 — 2,414,795 1,001,848 
			 Ulster 4,025,712 — 4,025,712 2,151,181 
			 United 7,508,071 701 7,508,772 3,852,215 
			 Total 50,778,740 6,927,804 57,706,544 25,269,488 
		
	
	
		
			  2002-03 
			  £ 
			   Cost of core services  Cost of other regional services  Total cost of core services and other regional services  Staffing costs of core services 
			 Altnagelvin 5,696,737 — 5,696,737 2,638,219 
			 Belfast Link Labs 17,633,131 6,310,542 23,943,673 9,166,338 
			 Causeway 2,251,771 — 2,251,771 918,507 
			 Southern Labs 5,488,229 71,825 5,560,054 3,177,803 
			 Greenpark 1,140,970 — 1,140,970 467,583 
			 Mater 1,290,556 — 1,290,556 554,195 
			 Sperrin 2,367,609 — 2,367,609 964,703 
			 Ulster 3,786,775 — 3,786,775 1,898,639 
			 United 7,045,175 1,259 7,046,434 3,485,569 
			 Total 46,700,953 6,383,626 53,084,579 23,271,556

Retirement Age

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer from the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office, the hon. Member for Wolverhampton, South-East (Mr. McFadden), to the hon. Member for Blackpool, South (Mr. Marsden) of4 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 189-90W, on the retirement age, what his Department's policy is for the setting of retirement ages for staff below the senior civil service under the Civil Service (Management Functions) Act 1992.

Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Office retirement age for staff below the senior civil service is the national default retirement age of 65. It was adopted on Sunday 1 October 2006 when the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations took effect, making it illegal for an employer to retire an employee below the age of 65. Employees have the right to request to work beyond the default retirement age of 65, but they also have the right to retire from age 60, the minimum pension age.

Saville Inquiry

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will break down by main category of expenditure the cost to public funds of the Saville Inquiry into events in Londonderry in January 1972; and what items of expenditure have been incurred since the last sitting day of the tribunal.

David Hanson: On the figures available at the end of October 2006 the total cash spend of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry was £174.36 million. Breaking this down into the main categories previously requested by the hon. Member gives the following figures. The figures in columns 3 and 4 include the retrospective payment of fees to legal representatives for work carried out up to the completion of final submissions to the Inquiry, fees to Inquiry Counsel and the continuing administrative and operational expenditure of the Inquiry and the MOD.
	
		
			  £ million 
			1 NIO (total)  2 MOD (total)  3( 1)  NIO (post December 2004)  4( 1)  MOD( 2,5) 
			 (a) Legal fees 60.858 31.843 9.428 (2)4.960 
			 (b) Accommodation 15.450 — 2.981 — 
			 (c) Transportation 4.017 — 0.520 — 
			 (d) Provision of IT equipment 13.143 — 0.591 — 
			 (e) Hiring of halls 7.715 — 0 — 
			 (f) Other (3)38.298 (4)3.034 (3)4.752 (4,5)0.735 
			 (1) Expenditure in columns 3 and 4 is included in the totals given in columns 1 and 2. (2) Payments since February 2004. (3) For the NIO this figure includes salary costs of tribunal members (except Lord Saville) and inquiry staff, witness expenses, expert witnesses, office services and security, telecommunications and other miscellaneous office expenditure. (4) For the MOD this figure includes inquiry related staff and support costs, accommodation, a police investigation and other miscellaneous fees and expenses. (5) Payments since April 2004.

Secondments

Iain Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which staff in his Department are seconded from organisations with charitable status; and which have  (a) costs and  (b) salaries met (i) in part and (ii) in whole (A) from public funds and (B) by the charity from which they are seconded.

Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Office does not currently have any staff seconded from organisations with charitable status.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Attendance and Disability Living Allowances: Bristol

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people in Bristol, East are in receipt of disability living allowance high rate case component as well as high rate mobility;
	(2)  how many people in Bristol East constituency are in receipt of  (a) attendance allowance and  (b) carer's allowance.

Anne McGuire: The administration of attendance allowance, disability living allowance and carer's allowance is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service, Mr. Terry Moran. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Terry Moran, dated 21 February 2007:
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Bristol East are in receipt of disability living allowance high rate case component as well as high rate mobility. You also asked how many people in Bristol East constituency are in receipt of  (a) attendance allowance and  (b) carer's allowance.
	The Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire MP, promised you a substantive reply from the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service.
	With regard to your first question, at May 2006 there were 620 Disability Living Allowance customers in receipt of highest rate care component as well as higher rate mobility component in the Bristol East Parliamentary Constituency.
	 Notes:
	Caseload (Thousands) Total shows the number of people in receipt of an allowance and excludes
	people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital.
	Parliamentary Constituencies are those used for the Westminster parliament.
	 Source:
	DWP Information Directorate; Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.
	Definitions and Conventions: Figures have been rounded to the nearest ten; some additional
	control has also been applied.
	The information available is respects of your second question is in the attached annex.
	
		
			  Attendance allowance and carer's allowance in Bristol East parliamentary constituency May 2006. 
			   Attendance allowance  Carer's allowance 
			   Entitled cases  Entitled cases  Cases in payment 
			 Bristol East 3,170 1,350 760 
			  Notes: Entitled cases totals show both the number of people in receipt of an allowance and those with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. Parliamentary constituencies are those used for the Westminster parliament. Source: DWP Information Directorate; Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. Definitions and Conventions: Figures have been rounded to the nearest ten; some additional control has also been applied. 
		
	
	There are no figures currently available for cases in payment for attendance allowance.

British Food

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of food served in buildings occupied by his Department was of British origin in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006.

Anne McGuire: Precise figures are not available as the Department's estate is managed through a facilities management contract, including catering where premises allow. Therefore DWP has no responsibility for the procurement of catering except on a local level for receptions and meetings. Information systems do not allow us to analyse expenditure on food of British origin separately and data could be obtained only by a special exercise to examine both the Department's and our supplier's purchasing transactions. This would incur disproportionate costs.

Cemeteries: Safety

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the Health and Safety Executive's most recent estimate is of the number of deaths in a year in cemeteries due to falling headstones.

Anne McGuire: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is not aware of any deaths due to falling headstones since 2004, when the chairman of the Health and Safety Commission wrote to all local authorities on this subject. Between 2000 and 2003 there were three fatal accidents involving headstones and HSE is aware of at least three further fatal accidents going back to 1982.
	In addition, 18 major injuries involving headstones were reported to HSE in the five-year period from 1999 to 2004.

Departments: Equal Opportunities

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department  (a) has taken and  (b) plans to take to ensure that it and related bodies are in compliance with the gender equality duty in the Equality Act 2006 by the April 2007 deadline.

Anne McGuire: My Department has assessed its functions and policies for their impact on gender equality. Each business in the Department has published a gender equality scheme, committing to objectives and action plans for addressing any areas of concern and for ensuring that we meet the requirements of the Gender Equality Duty. Our gender equality schemes were published in December 2006.
	In preparation for the duty, all staff are receiving equality training on this and all other equality requirements, and there has been widespread communication about the new duty. There will be further communication about the new duty as it comes into force in April.
	Related bodies, such as the Health and Safety Executive, publish their own action plans within their equality schemes. Other partners, suppliers and contractors who provide a service to the public on our behalf have diversity and equality policies that demonstrate their compliance with the Equality Act 2006.

Departments: Furniture

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many items of furniture were  (a) lost and  (b) stolen from his Department in each year since 1997; and what the value was of those items in each year.

Anne McGuire: DWP was formed in June 2001 from the former Department of Social Security and parts of the former Department for Education and Employment including the former Employment Service.
	The Department pays a facilities unit price to Land Securities Trillium for such accommodation which includes the cost of providing furniture. If any furniture is lost or stolen, replacement is provided by Land Securities Trillium under the terms of the contract and the costs covered by the FUP. No central records are kept of lost or stolen furniture.
	The Health and Safety Executive joined DWP in July 2002 and they have confirmed that there are no recorded losses or thefts of furniture.
	The Rent Service joined DWP in April 2004 and they have confirmed that there are no recorded losses or thefts of furniture.

Departments: Incentives

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total sum of bonuses paid to civil servants in his Department was in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006.

Anne McGuire: Performance bonus payments are awarded to employees on the basis of their individual performance. They are paid after the completion of the performance year.
	The expenditure incurred is as follows:
	
		
			  The amount paid in bonuses to DWP staff from 2005 to 2006 
			  Performance year  Year paid  Total aid (£ million) 
			 2004-05 2005 38.61 
			 2005-06 2006 42.82 
		
	
	In addition to individual performance bonus payments, DWP also paid team bonuses to selected units within the Department. The expenditure incurred is as follows:
	
		
			  The amount paid in team bonuses to DWP staff from 2005 to 2006 
			  Performance year  Year paid  Total paid (£ million) 
			 2004-05 2005 3.3 
			 2005-06 2006 (1)— 
			 (1) Not applicable  Notes: 1 Some individuals may have received more than one type of bonus payment in any given year, which is why the information has been presented separately, and not as an aggregated total. 2 No team bonus schemes have run since 2004-05. 
		
	
	Individuals may also be entitled to special bonus payments. The cost in a typical year for these bonuses is around £3 million with payments made to approximately 17,000 individuals (based on 2005-06 payments).

Departments: Opinion Polls

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the opinion polls his Department has commissioned in the last 12 months; and what the  (a) cost and  (b) purpose was of each poll.

Anne McGuire: The information is as follows.
	 Omnibus survey research
	My Department conducts an annual omnibus survey to monitor public attitudes to the Government's welfare reform programme.
	The cost of the Public Attitudes Survey in 2006 was £50,000.

Departments: Publications

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library copies of the last 12 editions of his Department's staff magazine.

Anne McGuire: Copies of the last 12 editions of the magazine have been placed in the Library.

Departments: Race Equality Duty

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department has taken to implement the Race Equality Duty since 2000.

Anne McGuire: The Race Equality Duty came into force on 30 May 2002. Following that date, DWP published its consultation document, "Equality, Opportunity and Independence for all" followed by "Realising Race Equality in the Department for Work and Pensions" in the following year. Since then, a further race equality scheme was published in 2005 and a progress report has been produced in the intervening years (the latest being 1 December 2006 to coincide with the launch of the Department's Disability and Gender Equality Schemes).
	The current equality scheme sets out the steps that DWP has taken to implement the general and specific duty, including:
	consulting with organisations about race issues including the Experience Corps, an independent company set up to encourage people aged 50+ to do voluntary work in their communities, Ethnic Minority Business Forum, Ethnic Media Group, Ethnic Minority Forum and the DWP Ethnic Minority Working Party;
	developing minimum customer standards and monitoring the effect on ethnic minority customers;
	publishing a departmental monitoring and evaluation strategy on our internal website;
	setting up a project to consider, co-ordinate and recommend activities in relation to senior civil service recruitment, promotion and succession planning, and the implementation and mainstreaming of diversity procedures;
	carrying out race impact assessments (following specified guidance) on new policies and services including work force management (relocation and efficiency) reviews and decisions on office closures and early release schemes across the Department, publishing these both internally and externally;
	agreeing a new telephone-based language interpreting service that allows our staff to communicate professionally with members of the public who do not speak English as their first language;
	enhancing our Realising Potential scheme, which is aimed at ethnic minority staff who wish to develop their competence and confidence so they are able to compete on merit for opportunities;
	achieving a gold award in the 2006 Race for Opportunity (RfO) benchmark exercise. RfO is a growing network of private and public sector organisations working across the UK to promote the business case for race and diversity;
	in preparation for the Disability and Gender Equality Duties, all staff are receiving equality training which includes information on the Race Equality Duty also.
	We will assess and provide an update on outcomes and progress against our action plans, on a yearly basis. We will ensure that, as part of that process, we continue to involve our customers, their stakeholders and our staff. We will include the outcomes of our monitoring and evaluation and of impact assessments we have carried out on our policies and services. Our action plans show how we will embed this into our business planning and reporting cycles.
	The latest DWP Race Equality Schemes can be found at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/aboutus/equalityschemes/

Departments: Recruitment

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total cost was of advertising positions in his Department in each year since 1997-98.

Anne McGuire: This information is not collated in this Department and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Health and Safety Executive: Expenditure

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what total expenditure by  (a) the Health and Safety Executive and  (b) the Health and Safety Commission was in each year since 1996-97; and what it is expected to be in 2006-07.

Anne McGuire: The total expenditure for the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), as shown in the published Annual Accounts, is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  £000 
			   HSC total expenditure  HSE total expenditure 
			 1996-97 453 218,435 
			 1997-98 510 214,788 
			 1998-99 548 219,876 
			 1999-2000 556 221,639 
			 2000-01 611 241,564 
			 2001-02 605 255,060 
			 2002-03 643 255,485 
			 2003-04 644 257,535 
			 2004-05 694 272,276 
			 2005-06 848 303,834 
			 2006-07(2) 835 (3)295,767 
			 (1) The figures for HSE include the Health and Safety Laboratory. (2) The figures for 2006-07 are forecasts. (3) Responsibility for rail safety transferred to the Office of Rail Regulation from 1 April 2006.

Incapacity Benefit

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research he has undertaken into the proportion of working-age people in the UK on incapacity benefit in comparison with figures for other EU countries; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: International comparisons of benefit receipt are difficult to make because of differences in benefit design, definitions of disability and demographics. Although information is not available to make comparisons with other EU countries, the available evidence shows that the proportion of the working age population in the UK in receipt of incapacity benefits is 6.6 per cent., slightly below the OECD average of 7 per cent.
	 Source:
	OECD

Incapacity Benefit

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what average number of working hours was required to conduct a personal capability assessment in the most recent year for which figures are available, including any subsequent hours involved in assessing continuing entitlement to incapacity benefit.

Anne McGuire: The average time taken to complete a personal capability report during the period January 2006 to December 2006 was 39 minutes.
	Information about the time involved in the specific part of the incapacity benefit administration process requested is not available.

Incapacity Benefit and Severe Disablement Allowance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) Incapacity Benefit and  (b) Severe Disablement Allowance claimants claimed the benefit for (i) up to three months, (ii) between three to six months, (iii) between six to 12 months, (iv) between one and two years, (v) between two and three years and (vi) more than three years in each quarter since 1992.

Anne McGuire: The information is not available in the format requested. The available information is in the following tables:
	
		
			  Incapacity benefit claimants in Great Britain by duration of claim May 1998 to May 2006 
			  Quarter ending  All durations  Up to 3 months  3 months to 6 months  6 months to 1 year  1 year to 2 years  2 years to 3 years  3 years and over 
			 May 1998 2,407,300 161,500 130,500 212,900 322,600 249,300 1,330,500 
			 August 1998 2,391,500 165,000 125,200 200,900 324,400 249,500 1,326,400 
			 November 1998 2,389,400 172,300 126,300 189,000 321,500 250,900 1,329,400 
			 February 1999 2,362,600 172,700 132,600 183,500 309,900 254,700 1,309,200 
			 May 1999 2,366,300 157,500 127,300 191,700 299,900 257,400 1,332,500 
			 August 1999 2,355,240 159,670 133,940 194,540 285,700 258,110 1,323,280 
			 November 1999 2,361,300 167,070 124,450 194,320 284,930 258,470 1,332,070 
			 February 2000 2,348,390 152,860 129,030 189,810 288,160 252,430 1,336,110 
			 May 2000 2,352,520 158,180 121,710 185,420 293,890 241,700 1,351,640 
			 August 2000 2,380,310 161,870 128,790 185,600 294,450 236,190 1,373,420 
			 November 2000 2,387,860 159,210 128,640 183,920 290,720 234,550 1,390,820 
			 February 2001 2,415,020 158,090 132,700 191,620 285,620 237,770 1,409,230 
			 May 2001 2,420,880 159,490 127,330 193,340 279,630 241,620 1,419,470 
			 August 2001 2,435,420 155,130 131,820 192,910 281,190 241,680 1,432,690 
			 November 2001 2,425,570 157,740 120,950 186,410 276,660 237,310 1,446,500 
			 February 2002 2,427,220 150,340 125,490 185,000 276,290 230,950 1,459,160 
			 May 2002 2,471,140 174,650 124,150 186,390 282,250 228,330 1,475,370 
			 August 2002 2,478,850 153,860 147,120 185,620 281,890 228,310 1,482,060 
			 November 2002 2,489,910 162,910 124,550 201,820 280,900 227,230 1,492,500 
			 February 2003 2,493,870 154,080 131,000 203,850 278,780 228,470 1,497,700 
			 May 2003 2,494,900 153,100 124,040 186,040 294,580 231,770 1,505,370 
			 August 2003 2,502,060 152,190 124,890 183,540 294,930 230,800 1,515,710 
			 November 2003 2,509,010 157,130 122,570 178,400 296,400 229,310 1,525,210 
			 February 2004 2,509,670 147,430 126,200 179,210 297,440 228,230 1,531,160 
			 May 2004 2,508,770 146,820 122,200 179,050 276,550 243,610 1,540,540 
			 August 2004 2,514,270 146,680 122,970 178,990 274,350 244,000 1,547,280 
			 November 2004 2,514,740 150,030 120,500 174,450 269,860 245,130 1,554,770 
			 February 2005 2,503,530 136,030 121,390 174,230 266,430 245,690 1,559,760 
			 May 2005 2,490,850 137,580 111,140 171,440 262,740 223,960 1,583,990 
			 August 2005 2,478,160 135,880 112,880 162,640 258,670 220,340 1,587,750 
			 November 2005 2,466,200 130,740 110,530 157,620 255,570 216,550 1,595,190 
			 February 2006 2,464,240 125,110 115,110 160,050 250,260 213,860 1,599,840 
			 May 2006 2,449,990 124,420 105,950 160,920 245,670 210,630 1,602,400 
		
	
	
		
			  Severe disablement allowance claimants in Great Britain by duration of claim May 1998 to May 2006 
			  Quarter ending  All durations  Up to 3 months  3 months to 6 months  6 months to 1 year  1 year to 2 years  2 years to 3 years  3 years and over 
			 May 1998 377,800 7,100 6,400 16,600 42,300 36,100 269,200 
			 August 1998 377,900 7,100 6,600 13,400 41,800 35,100 273,900 
			 November 1998 378,600 7,600 6,400 12,600 39,900 32,100 280,000 
			 February 1999 378,500 8,500 7,300 12,300 34,500 33,300 282,700 
			 May 1999 378,500 5,700 6,200 12,300 27,400 37,000 289,800 
			 August 1999 377,260 5,930 6,120 11,600 23,890 37,310 292,410 
			 November 1999 376,830 5,480 5,900 11,580 23,040 35,060 295,760 
			 February 2000 375,640 5,320 5,380 11,510 22,270 31,010 300,140 
			 May 2000 375,560 5,880 5,330 10,770 22,020 23,900 307,660 
			 August 2000 376,200 6,210 5,850 10,230 21,280 21,740 310,890 
			 November 2000 376,280 5,840 6,180 10,720 20,610 20,960 311,980 
			 February 2001 377,010 6,080 5,790 11,630 20,060 20,370 313,080 
			 May 2001 374,450 2,910 6,100 11,470 19,970 20,130 313,870 
			 August 2001 370,030 890 2,870 11,390 20,250 19,460 315,170 
			 November 2001 362,140 720 840 8,090 19,590 18,140 314,760 
			 February 2002 360,000 570 690 3,700 21,120 18,160 315,760 
			 May 2002 336,480 620 570 1,400 12,210 12,630 309,050 
			 August 2002 332,580 500 600 1,170 9,380 12,500 308,430 
			 November 2002 328,560 500 490 1,100 6,610 12,510 307,360 
			 February 2003 324,700 510 480 1,050 3,680 12,720 306,260 
			 May 2003 320,760 620 540 910 2,320 11,180 305,190 
			 August 2003 316,990 430 600 970 2,050 8,600 304,340 
			 November 2003 313,260 420 410 1,080 1,870 6,090 303,390 
			 February 2004 309,490 420 410 960 1,860 3,410 302,430 
			 May 2004 305,940 410 400 790 1,860 2,150 300,350 
			 August 2004 302,730 380 400 770 1,800 1,890 297,490 
			 November 2004 299,670 470 380 760 1,740 1,730 294,600 
			 February 2005 296,340 400 450 730 1,620 1,740 291,400 
			 May 2005 292,870 390 400 780 1,430 1,740 288,140 
			 August 2005 289,590 330 380 820 1,390 1,670 285,000 
			 November 2005 286,700 300 320 740 1,430 1,630 282,280 
			 February 2006 283,250 310 310 670 1,430 1,510 279,030 
			 May 2006 280,010 230 310 600 1,420 1,300 276,140 
			  Notes: 1. For May 1998 to May 1999 (inclusive), numbers are rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. For August 1999 to May 2006 (inclusive), numbers are rounded to the nearest ten. 3. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 4. Incapacity benefit claimants include those getting incapacity benefit credits-only. 5. No new claims for severe disablement allowance have been accepted since 6 April 2001. However, some claims have to be rebuilt on the IT system, which leads to a new "start" date being created and results in these claims appearing to have shorter durations.  Source: DWP Information Directorate 5 per cent. sample and 100 per cent. Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

Pension Service: Manpower

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what staffing projections he has made for the Pension Service local service teams.

James Purnell: We are currently planning to have a local service of no more than 2,000 staff by 31 March 2008.
	Through a programme of efficiency measures local services expect to provide the same level of service to customers.

Pensions

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what factors he intends to take into account in deciding the date from which state second pension accruals will become flat-rate; and within what period of years he expects this to occur.

James Purnell: If state second pension remained unchanged, it would become a flat-rate benefit around 2056. However, in line with the recommendation of the Pensions Commission, we have put in place the means to accelerate this eventuality. Through the measures introduced in the Pensions Bill the state second pension will become completely flat-rate in around 2030. We believe this strikes the appropriate balance between moving quickly to flat-rate provision, and providing a transitional period where some earnings-related compulsion remains for a period while personal accounts bed in.

Personal Capability Assessment

Janet Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what independent research he plans to carry out to ensure that the new Personal Capability Assessment is a fit and robust assessment of limited capability for work;
	(2)  what independent monitoring he plans to carry out to ensure that the new Personal Capability Assessment is a fit and robust assessment of limited capability for work.

Jim Murphy: We are carrying out a two-part evaluation to ensure that the revised Personal Capability Assessment (PCA) constitutes a fair, robust and evidence-based assessment of limited capability for work.
	An initial, limited evaluation of the revised descriptors and scores was conducted in September and October 2006 to enable us to begin drafting regulations.
	A second, larger, evaluation is due to commence in March 2007. It will enable us to refine the recommendations of the working groups and will ensure that this is reflected in the draft regulations before they are completed.
	Both of these evaluations are being carried out by independent experts from the technical working groups who advised us on the transformation of the PCA, in liaison with medical staff from DWP and Atos Origin. The second-stage evaluation will also involve representatives of the overarching consultative group involved in the PCA review.
	We will continue to monitor the effectiveness of the revised PCA following its implementation from 2008. For the first two years after it is implemented we will involve in its ongoing evaluation the independent experts from the technical working groups. Those independent experts will remain in place to offer assessment, challenge and observations about the operation of the revised PCA during the first two years.
	We will then consider the most appropriate means to continue to monitor the revised assessment from 2010 onwards.

State Second Pension

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the proportion of  (a) men and  (b) women in each age group who are employed and contracted in to the state second pension.

James Purnell: The information requested is in the following table.
	
		
			  Age  All  Number employed  Number contracted into S2P  Proportion employed  Proportion contracted into S2P 
			  Male  
			 16-29 5,171,238 3,485,348 2,814,000 67.0 54.0 
			 30-39 4,083,309 3,663,945 2,270,000 90.0 56.0 
			 40-49 4,250,754 3,727,435 1 ,940,000 88.0 46.0 
			 50-59 3,726,115 2,984,101 1,960,000 80.0 53.0 
			 60-64 1,564,528 853,787 789,000 55.0 50.0 
			   
			  Female  
			 16-29 5,140,000 3,250,000 3,030,000 63.0 59.0 
			 30-39 4,500,000 3,260,000 3,120,000 72.0 69.0 
			 40-49 4,210,000 3,230,000 2,620,000 77.0 62.0 
			  50-59 3,810,000 2,570,000 2,190,000 67.0 57.0 
			  Notes: 1. Employed is defined as having done at least 1 hour of paid or unpaid work in the week in which the Labour Force Survey was undertaken. 2. Entitlement to state second pension depends on earnings or the award of certain credits. 3. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10,000.  Source: Life Time Labour Market Database (LLMDB), 2003/04; DWP Labour Market Statistics, spring quarter 2004

Winter Fuel Payments: Darlington

Alan Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Darlington received the winter fuel allowance in each year since its introduction; and what the cost was in each year.

James Purnell: Information relating to winter fuel payments for the winters of 1997-98 and 1998-99 is not available. The information from winter 1999-2000 is in the following table. Figures for this winter are not yet available but we expect them to be similar to those for 2005-06.
	
		
			   Payments made  Amount paid (£ million) 
			 1999-2000 16,070 1.2 
			 2000-01 17,710 2.8 
			 2001-02 17,710 2.7 
			 2002-03 17,820 2.7 
			 2003-04 17,790 3.0 
			 2004-05 17,500 3.1 
			 2005-06 17,540 3.1 
			  Notes: 1. Figures for payments made rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Figures for amount paid rounded to the nearest £100,000. 3. The winter fuel payment was £100 in the year 1999-2000, rising to £200 from the following year. 4. Payments are made at different rates and although caseloads may be similar the total expenditure may vary due to associated factors such as the breakdown of shared and full payments issued and rounding. 5. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.  Source: Information Directorate 100 per cent. sample.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Arson: Greater London

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reported cases of arson occurred in each London borough in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: The available information relates to offences of arson recorded by the police and is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Offences of arson recorded by the police by London borough 
			  Borough  2001-02  2002-03( 1)  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Barking and Dagenham 280 214 212 177 141 
			 Barnet 162 215 144 120 92 
			 Bexley 187 161 117 88 104 
			 Brent 305 251 226 154 133 
			 Bromley 251 298 247 175 222 
			 Camden 167 179 110 99 65 
			 City of Westminster 112 93 75 62 67 
			 Croydon 243 214 226 137 150 
			 Ealing 288 212 193 138 123 
			 Enfield 193 185 167 117 99 
			 Greenwich 276 230 313 228 188 
			 Hackney 243 144 162 117 96 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 94 89 68 50 49 
			 Haringey 163 179 121 105 103 
			 Harrow 161 132 90 74 55 
			 Havering 226 203 193 158 127 
			 Hillingdon 265 262 234 153 135 
			 Hounslow 231 248 194 142 112 
			 Islington 165 144 111 101 98 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 53 37 40 27 25 
			 Kingston upon Thames 116 142 157 159 57 
			 Lambeth 198 178 164 116 99 
			 Lewisham 130 140 129 111 118 
			 Merton 169 164 138 78 77 
			 Newham 333 357 250 192 193 
			 Redbridge 148 139 133 147 94 
			 Richmond upon Thames 94 99 69 74 38 
			 Southwark 193 313 198 178 122 
			 Sutton 128 115 137 64 61 
			 Tower Hamlets 299 484 321 191 162 
			 Waltham Forest 151 109 132 103 82 
			 Wandsworth 164 137 118 101 87 
			 Total 6,188 6,067 5,189 3,936 3,374 
			 (1) The National Crime Recording Standard was introduced on 1 April 2002.

Asylum: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers accommodated in  (a) Herefordshire and  (b) Hemel Hempstead constituency were granted (i) asylum, (ii) indefinite leave to remain and (iii) refugee status in each of the last 10 years; and how many illegal immigrants who had been accommodated in each area were deported in each of the last 10 years.

Liam Byrne: Information on numbers of asylum applications and decision outcomes relating to asylum seekers in particular areas of the UK is unavailable as are statistics regarding the location of asylum seekers not in receipt of support from IND. The number of illegal immigrants deported from each area in the last 10 years is not available.
	The numbers of asylum seekers in receipt of support from IND, broken down by Government office region and local authority, are published on a quarterly and annual basis, as are asylum decisions in the UK as a whole. The latest publication covering the third quarter of 2006 is available on the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
	Further breakdowns of those in receipt of support from IND by parliamentary constituency are also available from the Library of the House.

Asylum: Zimbabwe

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum applications were  (a) received from and  (b) granted to individuals from Zimbabwe in each of the last three years.

Liam Byrne: Information on asylum applications, initial decisions, and appeals by nationality is published quarterly and annually. Copies of these publications are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html

British Citizenship

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 29 January 2007,  Official Report, column 127W, on British citizenship, how many exemptions have been granted under each of the grounds of exemption from the requirement.

Liam Byrne: This information is not readily available and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

British Nationality: Gurkhas

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the UK citizenship rights of Gurkhas who retired prior to 1997.

Liam Byrne: Eligibility for naturalisation as a British citizen is governed by the British Nationality Act 1981. This stipulates all the normal requirements for citizenship. The Secretary of State has discretion over the extent to which certain of these requirements must be satisfied in any particular case.
	In respect of the UK citizenship rights of Gurkhas, absence from the United Kingdom occasioned by the applicant's service in the British armed forces will, for this purpose, be treated as residence here provided he is no longer serving in the Brigade of Gurkhas. This applies irrespective of the date of retirement from the Brigade.

Business Improvement Districts

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the contribution of business improvement districts to tackling crime and community safety.

Phil Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
	No formal assessment has been made of the contribution of business improvement districts to tackling crime and community safety as yet.

Crime

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the 20  (a) local authorities and  (b) basic command units with the (i) biggest and (ii) smallest (A) reductions and (B) increases in (1) burglary, (2) theft of a motor vehicle, (3) theft from a motor vehicle and (4) criminal damage since 1996-97; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Crime: Kent

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of crime were reported to the police without a crime number being issued in  (a) Gravesham and  (b) Kent in each of the last three years.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is not available centrally.

Departmental Hospitality

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department's expenditure was on hospitality and entertainment in  (a) 1996-97 and  (b) 2005-06.

Liam Byrne: Home Office expenditure on official hospitality and entertainment is made in accordance with departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, Hospitality is defined as the provision of food, drink and entertainment of non-civil servants where it is beneficial to the interests of the Department.
	The Department did not maintain separate records of expenditure on hospitality in 1996-97. Provision of figures could not be made without incurring disproportionate costs.
	Total spend for the Department for official hospitality and entertainment of non-civil servants in 2005-06 was £250,724. This figure covers hospitality provided by both civil servants and Ministers.

Departmental Responsibilities

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which Departments he is considering to take on Home Office functions in his proposals to restructure his Department.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 19 February 2007
	Questions of changes to the machinery of Government are decided by the Prime Minister. I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answer given by the Prime Minister in the House of Commons on Wednesday 24 January:
	"There are proposals that the Home Secretary has made, and we will make an announcement on those in the next few weeks.

Departments: Coventry

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what spending his Department plans in Coventry in each year until 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 19 February 2007
	The Department's expenditure is made for the benefit of the whole of Great Britain. Providing detailed spend for Coventry could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Equal Opportunities

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department  (a) has taken and  (b) plans to take to ensure that it and related bodies are in compliance with the gender equality duty in the Equality Act 2006 by the April 2007 deadline.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office has set up working groups specifically to address the requirements of the gender equality duty and is currently working towards publication of a gender equality scheme for the core Home Office and associate schemes for Executive Agencies by 30 April 2007. It is identifying key stakeholders with whom policy officials will work to produce the necessary measures to  (a) eliminate unlawful discrimination and harassment and  (b) promote equality of opportunity between women and men. All steps, both current and planned, will conform with those set out in the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 (Public Authorities)(Statutory Duties) Order 2006 (No. 2930) which comes into force on 6 April 2007.

Deportation

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many forced removals from the UK took place in each of the last four years; in which regions and counties of the UK those forcibly removed were resident prior to the removal process; and in how many cases working illegally was the principal reason for the forced removal process.

Liam Byrne: The following table shows the number of persons removed from the UK from January 2003 to September 2006. Information on the region of residence and reason for removal is not available; it would be available by examination of individual records only at disproportionate cost.
	Published statistics on immigration and asylum are available on the Home Office's Research Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html
	
		
			  Removals and voluntary departures( 1, 2 ) from the UK, excluding those leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes, 2003 to September 2006( 3) 
			  Number of persons 
			  Period  2003  2004  2005( 4)  January to September 2006( 4) 
			 Persons removed and voluntary departures(1, 2, 5) n/a 56,290 51,610 n/a 
			  Of whom: 
			 Principal asylum applicants(6) 11,250 10,300 10,820 8,565 
			  Of whom: 
			 Dependants of asylum applicants n/a 1,910 1,630 985 
			  Of whom: 
			 Non-asylum cases 46,496 44,080 39,160 n/a 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) Includes enforced removals, persons departing 'voluntarily' after enforcement action had been initiated against them and since 2005 those who it is established have left the UK without informing the immigration authorities. (2) Includes cases dealt with at juxtaposed controls. (3) Figures rounded to the nearest five and may not sum due to rounding. (4) Provisional figures. (5) Excludes persons leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes run by the International Organisation for Migration. (6) Persons who had sought asylum at some stage, excluding dependants.

Deportation

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the costs to the public purse of the  (a) deportation of failed asylum seekers and  (b) financial support for voluntary deportation in the last financial year for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: The various elements of enforcement costs for removing failed asylum seekers was published and can be found in appendix 2 of the NAO report "Returning Failed Asylum Applicants". This can be accessed via the NAO website at:
	www.nao.org.uk
	The total expenditure for operating AVR (Assisted Voluntary Return) programmes in 2005-06 was £11,394,564. This includes pay, non-pay and programme costs for both the VARRP (Voluntary Assisted Return and Reintegration Programme) and the AVRIM (Assisted Voluntary Return for Irregular Migrants) programme.
	In the financial year 2005-06, there were 17,135 asylum applicants, including dependants, who were removed from the UK. Of the 17,135 persons, 13,255 were removed or departed voluntarily; this figure includes enforced removals, those departing 'voluntarily' after enforcement action had been initiated against them and those who it is established have left the UK without informing the immigration authorities. Of the 17,135 persons, 3,880 left under Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes run by the International Organisation for Migration. These figures are rounded to the nearest five and are provisional.
	It is not possible to say which stage in the asylum process applicants have reached at the time of their removal, as those departing voluntarily can do so at any stage.

Doctors: Work Permits

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individual work permits for doctors and nurses were issued in 2006; how many were  (a) long-term permits of a year or more duration and  (b) short-term permits; and how many (i) long-term and (ii) short-term permits have been renewed to date.

Liam Byrne: The following table shows a breakdown of the number of long-term and short-term work permits issued to doctors and nurses, in 2006.
	The table also shows the number of work permits which were granted extensions in 2006. This includes extensions of initial work permits issued in 2006 and in the years prior to that date.
	
		
			  Work permits issued in2006 
			   Work permits issued( 1)  Extensions issued( 2)  Total 
			  Doctor Nurse Doctor Nurse Doctor Nurse 
			 Long term(3) 10,030 1,337 3,501 321 13,531 1,658 
			 Short term(4) 176 979 26 59 202 1,038 
			 (1) First applications approved in 2006. (2) Second or further applications approved in 2006 irrespective of when the initial work permit was issued. Although the extension applications could include some people who had short-term initial applications in 2006 these would be very small numbers. (3) 12 months or more. (4) Less than 12 months.  Notes: 1. The 'Total' columns indicates the number of overseas nationals who IND to take up or continue employment as doctors and nurses in 2006.  2. The figures quoted are not National Statistics but are based on provisional management information and may be subject to change.

EC Enlargement: Turkey

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department has made an assessment of potential population migration to the UK if Turkey joins the EU.

Liam Byrne: The Commission assessed the effects of Turkish membership on the EU including migration before the EU opened negotiations with Turkey. The UK Government have drawn on this in formulating their approach to Turkish membership.
	Any assessment of the implications for net migration to the UK would be affected by: the functioning of the countries' economies at the time of accession; the level of access granted to the UK labour market; and the decisions of other member states on labour market access. The issue of migration will be analysed in more detail during the accession negotiations and as the positions of the aforementioned factors become clearer, nearer the point of accession.

Equality: Gender

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking to implement the gender equality duty due to come into force on 6 April.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office has set up working groups specifically to address the requirements of the gender equality duty and is currently working towards publication of a gender equality scheme by 30 April 2007. It is identifying key stakeholders with whom policy officials will work to produce the necessary measures to (a) eliminate unlawful discrimination and harassment and (b) promote equality of opportunity between women and men. All steps, both current and planned, will conform with those set out in the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 (Public Authorities) (Statutory Duties) Order 2006 (No. 2930) which comes into force on 6 April 2007.

Executive Agencies

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which of the executive agencies of his Department have regional offices outside London.

Liam Byrne: The Criminal Records Bureau is based in Liverpool and has a second site for Disaster Recovery in Darwen, Lancashire. HM Prison Service has 10 regional offices in England and one in Wales. The Identity and Passport Service has six regional offices outside London.

Executive Agencies

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which executive agencies are the responsibility of his Department; what the function is of each agency; and what the annual budget was of each agency in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: The following executive agencies are the responsibility of the Home Department:
	 Criminal Records Bureau (CRB)
	The CRB operates a disclosure service which enables organisations in the public, private and voluntary sectors to make safer recruitment decisions by identifying candidates who may be unsuitable for certain work, especially that involving children or vulnerable adults. The CRB was established under Part V of the Police Act 1997.
	It is a self-funding executive agency and the annual budget for 2006-07 is £0 net.
	 HM Prison Service (HMPS)
	The objectives of HMPS are to hold prisoners securely, reduce the risk of prisoners re-offending and provide safe and well-ordered establishments in which prisoners are treated humanely, decently and lawfully.
	The annual budget for 2006-07 is £1,937 million net resource and £17.6 million net capital.
	 Identity and Passport Service (IPS)
	The IPS provides passport services and is, with delivery partners, developing the National Identity Scheme.
	The passport service is self-financing through passport fees. The annual budget for the development of identity cards in 2006-07 is £56.4 million.

Foreign Workers: Scientists

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications were made to his Department under the Science and Engineering Graduates scheme in 2006; and how many were successful.

Liam Byrne: During 2006 a total of 4,386 applications under the Science and Engineering Graduates Scheme were made of which 3,822 (87 per cent.) were successful.
	This information is not a national statistic. It is based on provisional management information and may be subject to change.

Highly Skilled Migrant Programme

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications were made to the MBA Provision as part of the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme in 2006; how many were successful; and how many of the successful applicants were from MBA graduates of UK universities.

Liam Byrne: The following table shows a breakdown of the number of applications under the MBA provision within the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme which were decided in 2006.
	Information on which applicants were from UK universities is not readily available from central records.
	
		
			  HSMP MBA provision applications cleared in 2006 
			   Approved  Refused  Total 
			 Initial applications 484 49 533 
			  Note: The figures quoted are not National Statistics but are based on provisional management information and may be subject to change.

Identity Cards

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of card readers which will be used by  (a) the public sector and  (b) the private sector as part of the identity cards scheme.

Joan Ryan: There will be a number of different methods of verifying identity under the National Identity Scheme ranging from a visual check of the card, which will not require a card reader, to card authentication, PIN verification and up to biometric verification where a high level of identity assurance is required.
	The decision of any individual public or private sector organisation to use none, one or a variety of these methods in accordance with their business requirements will impact on whether they need to invest in card readers.
	The number of card readers then required by any individual accredited private sector or public sector organisation will depend on their own individual circumstances on such matters as which channels customers use to interact with them, how their business and information technology systems are designed and what existing infrastructure is already in place.
	Thus, until further detailed work with both public and private sector organisations during the preparation and initial rollout of the Scheme are complete, it is not possible to provide a total number of card readers that will be used by public and private sector organisations.

Identity Cards

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the cost of an identity card reader.

Joan Ryan: As stated in the Regulatory Impact Assessment of the Identity Cards Bill, published on 25 May 2005, it is estimated that the cost of a card reader would fall within a range of £250 to £750 depending on their level of sophistication and performance—for example, whether they are able to check a biometric as well as the card in high-risk, high- value transactions where the card is present.
	However, integrated with other security and verification requirements, this cost could fall substantially over the years ahead and no allowance has been made in these figures for reductions in cost due to volume discount or cost reductions owing to an increasingly competitive market for card readers, particularly in the wake of the rollout of the 'Chip and PIN' network.

Immigration

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice on living in the UK is provided to foreign residents upon entry.

Liam Byrne: While intended primarily for people seeking citizenship or settlement in the UK, the handbook 'Life in the UK: A Journey to Citizenship' (ISBN 0-11-341302-5) contains advice about living in the UK that will be equally valuable to new migrants. A second edition (ISBN 0-11-341313-0) will be published shortly. In addition, the Immigration and Nationality Directorate has prepared a short publication, 'Living and Working in Britain', which will soon be available in a printed version and on the IND website in a number of languages. I am aware that the British Council also publishes useful information about the UK, particularly for students.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

Ian Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long on average it took for casework papers to be transferred from the Ministerial Correspondence Unit to the relevant section at the Immigration and Nationality Directorate in the latest period for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: Most replies to Members' letters on matters relating to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) are prepared by specialist drafting units ("ministerial correspondence units") within the main operational business areas. How long case papers take to reach their next destination after leaving the drafting units is not recorded centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Immigration Controls: Higher Education

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the current entry mechanisms to the UK for academic visitors and sponsored researchers will continue within the points-based immigration system.

Liam Byrne: We published the Command Paper entitled "A Points-Based System: Making Migration Work for Britain" in March 2006. Beyond this, there is still detail to be worked up and we are working in collaboration with stakeholders on developing that detail.
	Sponsored researchers may currently be granted work permits if they are in receipt of funding and have been selected to carry out research at a UK university or similar institution.
	We anticipate most sponsored researchers would be likely to qualify under Tier 2 of the new system. There is no express provision currently envisaged for sponsored researchers who would not qualify under Tier 2. However, the Exchange sub-category of Tier 5 will provide for people corning to work temporarily in the UK through an approved scheme aimed at sharing knowledge, experience and best practice. The detail of this sub-category is still being developed but, in principle, a scheme for sponsored research could be developed within the parameters we are setting for this sub-category.
	The Academic Visitor concession, which operates outside the Immigration Rules, currently enables academics to obtain up to a maximum of 12 months leave in order to undertake their own private research.
	Visitors (including Academic Visitors) will sit outside the Points Based System since it is concerned with people coming to the UK for work or study.
	The visitor route is currently under review.

Immigration Officers: Overtime

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether Immigration and Nationality officers who take part in early morning immigration enforcement visits or other out of office hours enforcement visits are paid overtime or any kind of additional benefit.

Liam Byrne: Overtime is paid for time worked in excess of weekly conditioned hours. Immigration Officers work shifts and are paid a shift disturbance allowance for this. It is not possible to ascertain whether Immigration and Nationality officers who take part in early morning immigration enforcement visits or other out of office hours enforcement visits are paid overtime or any kind of additional benefit as this information is not disaggregated to the level of detail that is requested.

Immigration: Detainees

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on the provision of HIV tests to people held in immigration detention and removal centres.

Liam Byrne: The provision of HIV tests to persons detained in immigration removal centres is a matter for individual healthcare professionals working in those centres under contracts for healthcare services with the Home Office.

Immigration: Scotland

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications were made to his Department under the Fresh Talent—Working in Scotland scheme in 2006; and how many were successful.

Liam Byrne: During 2006 a total of 2,193 applications were made under this particular scheme of which 2,032 (93 per cent.) were successful.
	This information is not a national statistic. It is based on provisional management information and may be subject to change.

IND Regional Offices

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the location is of each Immigration and Nationality Directorate regional office; how many staff are employed in each office; how many of the staff in each office have been trained in the procedures for dawn raids; and how many dawn raids were carried out from each regional office in the last 12 months.

Liam Byrne: The Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) do not conduct 'raids' against asylum seekers. Officers undertake operational visits to detain and remove persons who no longer have the right to remain in the United Kingdom (UK) and do so in line with operational policy and guidance.
	There are 41 Local Enforcement Offices (LEO) throughout the UK, details of which are available on the IND website. This can be accessed at:
	www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk
	The total number of IND staff working in the LEO at the end of 2006 is 2,430 of whom 594 are arrest- trained to a similar standard to the police or are undergoing arrest training.
	There are 170 police officers seconded to IND nationwide.
	The total number of enforcement operations carried out before 8:00am throughout the United Kingdom in 2006 was 8,100.

Inter-country Adoption

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what processes his Department undertakes in relation to applications for adoption made by UK citizens for children from abroad.

Liam Byrne: Immigration policy and procedure is to allow entry to the UK for adoption if the relevant requirements of UK adoption law have been met.
	At least one of the adopters must be either a British citizen or foreign national who is present and settled here or a European Union citizen who has Permanent Residency in the United Kingdom. Those who are 'habitually resident' in the United Kingdom must comply with relevant Adoption Law and Regulations. For those who reside in England and Wales this includes the Adoption Act 2002 and the Adoptions with a Foreign Element Regulations 2005.
	Those who reside in Scotland and Northern Ireland must comply with their own Devolved Authority's legislation. Those not habitually resident in the United Kingdom may enter with a child so long as the clear intention is to adopt the child under the laws of a country whose adoptions are recognised under UK law.
	In addition a child who has been made subject of an interim adoption order in a country whose adoption orders are recognised under UK law may be given leave to enter the UK.
	The purpose of these arrangements is to ensure that children come to the UK for adoption only in accordance with legal safeguards designed to prevent trafficking or other activities that amount to the sale of children.

Issues and Focus Magazines

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library copies of the last 10 editions of  (a) Issues magazine and  (b) Focus magazine.

Liam Byrne: Copies of the last 10 issues of Focus magazine will be placed in the Library.
	The Home Office is not aware of the Issues magazine referred to in the question.

Members: Correspondence

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when officials in the Immigration and Nationality Directive will reply to the letter of 14 June 2006 from the right hon. Member for Birmingham Ladywood on behalf of Shelley Riley (née Morgan), Home Office Reference M1047313.

Liam Byrne: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 12 February 2007.

Members: Correspondence

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter of 15 December 2006 from the hon. Member for North Down on the deportation of Vietnamese children from the United Kingdom.

Liam Byrne: My hon. Friend, the Under-Secretary of State for Nationality, Citizenship and Immigration, Joan Ryan, has replied on 7 February 2007 on my behalf.

Ministry of Defence Police: Colchester

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the potential effect of reductions in Ministry of Defence policing at Colchester on the  (a) workload of the Essex police and  (b) community safety in the Colchester and Tendring police sub-division; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 23 January 2007
	These are matters for the chief constable of Essex police.

Naturalisation: English Language

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to apply the English language requirement in the process of naturalisation as a British citizen under the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002.

Liam Byrne: Since November 2005, people seeking naturalisation as British Citizens have had to pass a test of their knowledge of the UK which requires English proficiency to the standard of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Entry 3 level; or alternatively to complete successfully an ESOL course using specially developed citizenship materials.

Offenders: Deportation

Alan Meale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been deported from the UK because of visa irregularities since 5 May 2005.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is not available; it would be available by examination of individual records only at disproportionate cost.
	Published statistics on immigration and asylum are available on the Home Office's Research Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html

Police: Gloucestershire

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers per capita population there were in Gloucestershire in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The available data are given in the following table.
	Data are taken from Home Office Statistical Bulletin series; Police Service Strength, England and Wales.
	
		
			  Police officers per 100.000 of the population for Gloucestershire police force, as at 31 March 1997 to 31 March 2006 (FTE)( 1) 
			   Police officers 
			 31 March 1997 205 
			 31 March 1998 198 
			 31 March 1999 197 
			 31 March 2000 200 
			 31 March 2001 209 
			 31 March 2002 209 
			 31 March 2003 219 
			 31 March 2004 229 
			 31 March 2005 230 
			 31 March 2006 228 
			 (1) Full-time equivalent figures rounded to the nearest whole number. Figures up to 31 March 2002 exclude staff on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. The figures for 31 March 2003 onwards figures include those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave.

Prisons

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many prisoners were housed in open prisons in each year since 2000, broken down by  (a) category recommended for each prisoner upon beginning their sentence and  (b) length of sentence (i) originally handed down and (ii) remaining when transferred to open prison;
	(2)  how many prisoners housed in open prisons in each year since 2000 were originally convicted of  (a) murder,  (b) rape,  (c) robbery,  (d) manslaughter,  (e) sexual assault,  (f) non-fatal criminal assault with knives and bladed instruments,  (g) possession with intent to supply drugs,  (h) simple possession of drugs,  (i) grievous bodily harm with intent,  (j) grievous bodily harm,  (k) actual bodily harm and (l) assault.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Information on the numbers of prisoners in prison establishments in England and Wales detained in open prisons in each year since 2002, by:
	(i) offence group;
	(ii) original sentence length; and
	(iii) security category, can be found in the following tables.
	Comprehensive information on the sentence time remaining at the date of transfer to open prison is not held centrally and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost; information on the numbers of prisoners by the categories of offence listed is not available because the numbers are small and the accuracy at this level of detail cannot be guaranteed.
	The figures provided have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, and the figures have been rounded.
	
		
			  Immediate custodial sentenced population in open prisons( 1)  by offence group on 30 June 2002-06 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 All 4,300 4,600 4,600 4,600 4,000 
			 Violence against the person 1,060 1,160 1,260 1,270 1,090 
			 Sexual offences 50 40 50 50 50 
			 Robbery 360 450 430 430 390 
			 Burglary 480 480 400 350 310 
			 Theft and handling 450 340 330 290 260 
			 Fraud and forgery 380 340 310 360 310 
			 Drug offences 810 1,040 1,230 1,250 1,090 
			 Motoring offences 280 280 210 210 130 
			 Other offences 370 360 350 340 320 
			 Offence not recorded 70 70 50 40 30 
			 (1) Open prisons are those stated on the prison service annual report (Ford, Hewell Grange, Hollesley Bay, Kirkham, Leyhill, North Sea Camp, Standford Hill, Sudbury, Askham Grange, East Sutton Park and Thorn Cross) and Moorland Open, Frescoed and Spring Hill. It does not include semi-open prisons.  Data sources and quality: These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, but the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system, and so although shown to the last individual, the figure may not be accurate. 
		
	
	
		
			  Immediate custodial sentenced population in open prisons( 1)  by sentence length on 30th June 2002-06 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 All 4,300 4,600 4,600 4,600 4,000 
			 Less than or equal to 6 months 430 410 330 350 210 
			 Greater than 6 months to less than 12 months 220 170 180 170 140 
			 12 months to less than 4 years 1,920 1,740 1,490 1,500 1,270 
			 4 years or more (excluding indeterminate sentences) 1,290 1,790 2,160 2,100 1,940 
			 Indeterminate sentences 440 450 460 450 410 
			 (1) Open prisons are those stated on the prison service annual report (Ford, Hewell Grange, Hollesley Bay, Kirkham, Leyhill, North Sea Camp, Standford Hill, Sudbury, Askham Grange, East Sutton Park and Thorn Cross) and Moorland Open, Frescoed and Spring Hill. It does not include semi-open prisons.  Data sources and quality: These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, but the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system, and so although shown to the last individual, the figure may not be accurate to that. 
		
	
	
		
			  Immediate custodial sentenced population in open prisons( 1)  by security category of prisoner on 30 June, 2002-06 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 All 4,300 4,600 4,600 4,600 4,000 
			 A 0 0 0 0 0 
			 B 10 0 10 10 0 
			 C 110 110 230 270 280 
			 D 3,370 3,840 3,760 3,710 3,180 
			 Other 800 600 610 570 510 
			 (1) Open prisons are those stated on the prison service annual report (Ford, Hewell Grange, Hollesley Bay, Kirkham, Leyhill, North Sea Camp, Standford Hill, Sudbury, Askham Grange, East Sutton Park and Thorn Cross) and Moorland Open, Prescoed and Spring Hill. It does not include semi-open prisons.  Data sources and quality: These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, but the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system, and so although shown to the last individual, the figure may not be accurate to that level. These figures have been rounded.

Prisons: North-West Region

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many prison places there are in the North-West of England;
	(2)  what the level of overcrowding in prisons in the North-West of England was at the last date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what plans he has to increase the number of prison places in the North-West of England.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The total operational capacity in all prisons in the North-West of England on Friday 9 February was 11,808 places. Total operational capacity is the total number of prisoners that the establishments can hold taking into account control, security and the proper operation of the planned regime.
	The level of overcrowding for all prisons in the North-West of England at the end of December 2006, the latest date for which information is available, was 31.3 per cent.
	The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is currently undertaking searches to identify sites for new prisons in areas of highest demand for prison places. The North-West region is included on this list.
	As part of the overall programme to increase prison capacity by around 10,000 places by 2012, a lease has been signed with the Mersey Care NHS Trust which will enable NOMS to open HM Prison Kennet in June 2007. Around 700 places are planned in new units at existing prisons in the North West and a new 600 place prison is planned for a site already owned by NOMS in Merseyside.

Racial Discrimination

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department has taken to implement the Race Equality Duty since 2000.

Liam Byrne: Following the introduction of the race duties we produced a race equality scheme in 2002. We revised and updated our race equality scheme in 2005.
	Our revised race equality scheme lays out in detail how we have implemented the race equality duty. This includes information on how we:
	assess, and consult on, the likely impact proposed policies will have on promoting race equality;
	monitor policies for any adverse impact on promoting race equality;
	publish the results of assessments, consultation, and monitoring;
	make sure the public have access to information and services; and
	train staff to carry out the general duty and the specific duties.
	A copy of our race equality scheme is available at
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/ho-race-equality-scheme/
	An equality impact assessment template for the Home Office Group has been developed to guide colleagues through statutory obligations on equality. The Home Office has also developed a two-day training programme on equality impact assessments which provides staff with requisite knowledge to promote race equality in policy formulation.

UK Borders Bill

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Scottish Executive have given an undertaking to seek comparable statutory powers in respect of forfeiture of detained property, as set out in clause 21 of the UK Borders Bill, within Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 19 February 2007
	In Scotland there is no need to legislate for this provision as current Scottish legislation provides that property is already to be forfeited to the Crown (rather than the police).

UK Borders Bill

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what constitutional advice determined that provisions of clauses 1 to 4 of the UK Borders Bill were matters that, with regard to their application to Scotland, were competences of the Scottish Parliament and Executive; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 19 February 2007
	Immigration is a reserved matter. The powers provided to immigration officers in clauses 1 to 4 of the UK Borders Bill allow for the detention of people pending the arrival of a constable. Were these powers to extend to Scotland, they would not be limited to reserved matters, and so far as they would relate to devolved matters, would be a matter for the Scottish Executive and Scottish Parliament.
	I wrote to the my hon. Friend on 8 February and will arrange for a copy of the letter to be placed in the House Library.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Departments: Furniture

Mark Francois: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many items of furniture were  (a) lost and  (b) stolen from her Department in each year since 1997; and what the value was of those items in each year.

Harriet Harman: My Department does not hold a central record of  (a) lost and  (b) stolen items of furniture from the department since 1997. Such information could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Legal Aid: Expenditure

David Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the cost of legal aid was in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Vera Baird: Expenditure on legal aid during each of the last three financial years was £2,076 million in 2003-04, £2,038 million in 2004-05 and £2,028 million in 2005-06.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Departments: Labour Party

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister without Portfolio whether her civil servants have been given permission to attend the Labour party conference to carry out departmental business since 1997.

Hazel Blears: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 19 February 2007,  Official Report, column 306W.

Government Departments: Internet

Martin Horwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what cost savings will be brought about by the closure of Government websites under the Transformational Government strategy; and what costs will be associated with migrating services to other websites.

Patrick McFadden: It is anticipated that net savings to government on web hosting costs will be realised as a result of this exercise. However specific costs and savings for each site, including migration costs, are a matter for the relevant Department and will be developed as part of the detailed implementation planning now under way.

Ministerial Residences

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2007,  Official Report, column 837W, on ministerial residences, how much each Government Department was re-billed for the cost of the provision of ministerial residences in 2005-06.

Hilary Armstrong: The responsibility for the costs of individual ministerial residences is the responsibility of the relevant Department.

NHS Reconfiguration

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister without Portfolio what meetings she has had with the Secretary of State for Health on the reconfiguration of the NHS in the last 12 months.

Hazel Blears: I have had no such meetings in my capacity as Minister without Portfolio.

Smith Institute

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what discussions her Department has had with the Smith Institute in the last 12 months; whether Ministers were present at these meetings; and what the purpose was of each such meeting.

Hilary Armstrong: Civil servants and Ministers meet many people as part of policy development and analysis. The Department does not maintain a central list of such contacts.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Serious Fraud Office

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Solicitor-General how many and what percentage of cases referred to the Serious Fraud Office were taken up by that Office in the last year for which figures are available.

Mike O'Brien: For 2005-06 the Serious Fraud Office saw 47 referrals and accepted 20 of the cases for investigation.
	The SFO publish its annual report setting out the progress it has made each year. The latest report can be viewed on the SFO website: www.sfo.gov.uk.

HEALTH

Alcohol-related Illness

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many admissions to hospital with an alcohol-related diagnosis via accident and emergency departments there were in  (a) the former Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Strategic Health Authority area,  (b) the East of England Strategic Health Authority area,  (c) the West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust area and  (d) the Suffolk Primary Care Trust area in each year since 1997.

Caroline Flint: The tables show the information requested. Table one shows an all diagnosis count of finished in-year admission episodes admitted via accident and emergency department for alcohol-related illness by strategic health authority (SHA) of residence for 1997-98 to 2005-06.
	Table two shows an all diagnosis count of finished in- year admission episodes admitted via accident and emergency departments for alcohol-related illness by primary care trust (PCT) of residence for 1997-98 to 2005-06.
	Table three shows an all diagnosis count of finished in-year admission episodes admitted via accident and emergency departments for alcohol-related illness for West Suffolk hospitals NHS trust for 1997-98 to 2005-06.
	
		
			  Table one 
			   Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Strategic HA  Essex Strategic HA  Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Strategic HA  Total 
			 1997-98 1,337 1,457 2,501 5,295 
			 1998-99 1,264 1,282 2,507 5,053 
			 1999-2000 1,315 1,441 2,637 5,393 
			 2000-01 1,191 1,546 2,522 5,259 
			 2001-02 1,406 1,402 2,660 5,468 
			 2002-03 1,464 1,396 2,803 5,663 
			 2003-04 1,681 1,806 3,697 7,184 
			 2004-05 2,346 2,200 3,941 8,487 
			 2005-06 2,327 2,533 4,600 9,460 
			  Notes: Diagnosis codes F10 mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol; K70 alcoholic liver disease; T51 toxic effect of alcohol. These figures represent a count of all finished in-year admission episodes where the method of admission was coded as emergency: via accident and emergency services, including the casualty department of the provider; or emergency: other means, including patients who arrive via the accident and emergency department of another provider. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table two 
			   Central Suffolk PCT  Ipswich PCT  Suffolk Coastal PCT  Suffolk West PCT  Total 
			 1997-98 52 247 121 196 616 
			 1998-99 47 269 134 203 653 
			 1999-2000 72 292 89 217 670 
			 2000-01 78 272 101 232 683 
			 2001-02 69 314 106 256 745 
			 2002-03 83 283 163 279 808 
			 2003-04 103 345 175 346 969 
			 2004-05 110 326 139 382 957 
			 2005-06 99 297 136 442 974 
			  Notes: Diagnosis codes F10 mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol; K70 alcoholic liver disease; T51 toxic effect of alcohol. These figures represent a count of all finished in-year admission episodes where the method of admission was coded as emergency: via accident and emergency services, including the casualty department of the provider; or Emergency: other means, including patients who arrive via the accident and emergency department of another provider. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table three 
			   West Hospitals Trust Suffolk NHS 
			 1997-98 196 
			 1998-99 192 
			 1999-2000 197 
			 2000-01 226 
			 2001-02 254 
			 2002-03 282 
			 2003-04 360 
			 2004-05 414 
			 2005-06 410 
			  Notes: Diagnosis codes F10 mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol; K70 alcoholic liver disease; T51 toxic effect of alcohol. These figures represent a count of all finished in-year admission episodes where the method of admission was coded as emergency: via accident and emergency services, including the casualty department of the provider; or emergency: other means, including patients who arrive via the accident and emergency department of another provider.  Finished in-year admissions A finished in-year admission is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider, excluding admissions beginning before 1 April at the start of the datayear. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year  PCT and SHA data quality PCT and SHA data was added to historic data-years in the hospital episode statistics (HES) database using 2002-03 boundaries, as a one-off exercise in 2004. The quality of the data on PCT of treatment and SHA of treatment is poor in 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99, with over a third of all finished episodes having missing values in these years. Data quality of PCT of general practitioner practice and SHA of GP practice in 1997-98 and 1998-99 is also poor, with a high proportion missing values where practices changed or ceased to exist. There is less change in completeness of the residence-based fields over time, where the majority of unknown values are due to missing postcodes on birth episodes. Users of time series analysis including these years need to be aware of these issues in their interpretation of the data.  All diagnoses count of episodes These figures represent a count of all finished in-year admission episodes where the diagnosis was mentioned in any of the 14 (seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in a HES record.  Data Quality HES are compiled from data sent by over 300 national health service trusts and PCTs in England. The Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.  Ungrossed data Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).

Biosimilar Medicines

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps she is taking to ensure that medical professionals are incentivised to report under the yellow card scheme adverse drug reactions following the use of a biomedicine or a biosimilar medicine;
	(2)  what discussions she has had with the European Medicines Agency on the development of guidelines for the approval of biosimilar medicines for marketing;
	(3)  when she expects the European Medicines Agency to finalise guidelines for biosimilar medicines;
	(4)  when she expects publication of Volume 9a of the Rules Governing Medicinal Products in the EU;
	(5)  what assessment her Department has made of whether biosimilar medicines should undergo separate clinical trials from the biomedicines to which they are related by chemical structure and production method;
	(6)  what discussions she has had with the Medicine and Health Regulatory Authority on assessment applications for marketing authorisations of biosimilar medicines;
	(7)  whether she  (a) has met and  (b) plans to meet the Medicine and Health Regulatory Authority to discuss protocols to ensure patients are not put at risk from adverse drug reactions as a result of interchanging similar biological medicines;
	(8)  what work has been undertaken to ensure that suitable definitions and protocols are in place to ensure that similar biomedicines are safe for use by patients and are as efficacious and of as high quality as the originally marketed products;
	(9)  what protocols are in place to ensure that patients are informed that their biomedicine is to be substituted by a biosimilar medicine;
	(10)  what percentage of adverse drug reactions in the last period for which figures are available were attributed to biosimilar medicines;
	(11)  what steps she is taking to raise awareness amongst patients of the risks and benefits associated with biosimilar medicines;
	(12)  whether her Department has endorsed the EU Committee for medicinal products for human use guidelines on similar biological medicinal products;
	(13)  what steps manufacturers of biosimilar medicines are required to put in place under pharmacovigilance protocols at the time of submitting the product for marketing authorisation by the Medicine and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority;
	(14)  what steps her Department takes to ensure that pharmacovigilance requirements are met for biosimilar medicines that have been granted marketing authorisation by the Medicine and Health Regulatory Authority;
	(15)  how the Medicines and Regulatory Agency distinguishes between generic and biosimilar medicines in its assessment procedures;
	(16)  what steps she has taken to ensure that all biosimilar medicines that have been granted a marketing authorisation by the Medicine and Health Regulatory Authority have a sufficiently robust pharmacovigilance mechanism and that all instances of adverse drug reaction are reported under the yellow card scheme;
	(17)  what assessment she has made of the potential effect on health of the use of biosimilar medicines.

Caroline Flint: Biomedicines are medicines that are made from, or contain, biological active substances, unlike conventional medicines, which contain chemical active substances.
	Pharmaceutical manufacturers are allowed to copy branded medicines once all patent and data protection periods have expired. Copies of branded conventional medicines are known as generics and copies of biomedicines are known as biosimilar medicines. Because of the biological nature of biomedicines and biosimilar medicines, there may be subtle differences between the branded reference product and each copy product. This means that there are additional factors to be considered when copies of biomedicines are made and when they are assessed by the regulator for a marketing authorisation.
	Under current regulations a company applying for a marketing authorisation for a biosimilar medicine must provide comprehensive data to demonstrate the quality of its product, and include data to show that its product is comparable to the reference product. It must also submit safety and efficacy data, although the extent of such data will depend on the product and its similarity to the reference product. Much of the clinical data to support an application for a marketing authorisation for a biosimilar product will derive from separate clinical trials conducted using this product.
	In contrast, manufacturers of copies of conventional medicines (generics) are required only to demonstrate bio-equivalence with the relevant reference product, which broadly means that they only need to demonstrate that if the same dose of the generic and reference product is given, the same effect can be expected.
	Applicants for marketing authorisations for all medicines (including biosimilar medicines) must provide a description of their pharmacovigilance system (this is a description of how they intend to monitor the safety of the medicine in use). The requirements of a pharmacovigilance system are laid down in legislation. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) carries out inspections to ensure the pharmacovigilance system is suitable and the company is fulfilling its obligations. Companies wanting to market a new product must also provide a risk management plan which describes the current knowledge of the product, outlines a plan to fill any gaps in knowledge and any measures needed to minimise any risk from the product.
	Because biosimilar medicines are not identical copies of reference products, the subtle differences may make a difference to their effect when taken by patients. These differences may not become fully apparent until greater experience in the use of the medicines has been established. It is preferable, therefore, that when such products are prescribed they should be clearly identified and prescribed by brand name to ensure that patients receive the exact product prescribed and that their safety in use can be properly monitored.
	Information on how to use a medicine and the possible side effects associated with its use is provided to patients in the patient information leaflet (PIL) which accompanies the medicine. When new information arises that impacts on the balance of risk and benefit of any medicine this is evaluated and, where appropriate, the PIL is amended, and if necessary health professionals are advised.
	Health professionals and patients are encouraged to report suspected adverse reactions to any medicine to the MHRA via the voluntary yellow card scheme, which collects and monitors such reports, evaluates them and takes any action necessary to ensure patient safety. The MHRA is committed to increasing overall reporting of adverse reactions and an Expert Advisory Group of the Commission on Human Medicines is advising on this issue.
	The rules governing the content of an application for a biosimilar medicine and the assessment undertaken by the regulator are laid down in legislation and guidelines. Specifically, the data requirements to support an application for a biosimilar medicine are outlined in Section 4 of Part II of Annex 1 of Directive 2003/63/EC. Volume 9a of the Rules Governing Medicinal Products in the European Union, which provides guidance on applying the legislation, was published by the Commission on 25 January 2007. The MHRA has participated in all the groups that have discussed these provisions and has endorsed the European legislation that sets out the rules for assessing applications for biosimilar medicines and the various guidelines including the Guidelines on Similar Biological Medicinal Products drawn up by the EU Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use.
	To date only two biosimilar products (growth hormones) have been authorised for use in the United Kingdom. They were both authorised through the European centralised procedure overseen by the European Medicines Agency. They are intended to be prescribed by physicians adequately experienced in diagnosis and management of patients with growth deficiency. The Government are not aware any of any reports of suspected adverse reactions associated with the use of these two products.

General Practitioners: Pay

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to instruct NHS employers to negotiate a cap on general practitioners' earnings under the General Medical Services contract.

Andy Burnham: At present we have no such plans. At the request of the British Medical Association's general practitioners committee (GPC), the independent Doctors and Dentists Review Body will be making a recommendation on an inflation increase for general practitioners for 2007-08.

Haemophilia

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of documents relating to the infection of haemophiliacs with contaminated blood products which have been returned to the Department of Health by Blackett, Heart and Pratt Solicitors have  (a) undergone independent legal examination and  (b) been passed to the Haemophilia Society;
	(2)  how many documents relating to the infection of haemophiliacs with contaminated blood products have been returned to the Department by Blackett, Heart and Pratt solicitors; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: In May 2006, Blackett Hart and Pratt solicitors returned 623 documents to departmental solicitors. All the documents were reviewed by independent counsel, before they were sent to officials in the Department. The vast majority of these documents (604 in total) were released in line with the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000. The documents were sent to a number of individuals at their request and to the Haemophilia Society.
	Some documents were withheld under FOI. However, officials are further reviewing these papers with a view to releasing them if possible.

Health Authorities: Eastern Region

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent meetings she has had with the strategic health authority for the Eastern Region.

Andy Burnham: The Secretary of State has not met recently with NHS East of England. I met with Keith Pearson, chair of NHS East of England, and Pearse Butler, chief executive of NHS East of England, on 17 October. I also met with Neil McKay, the new chief executive, on 7 December. Regular meetings also take place at official level.

Health Professions: Disciplinary Proceedings

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) doctors,  (b) dentists,  (c) nurses and  (d) other clinical staff are suspended from work in the NHS; and what the longest period is for which an individual has been suspended in each case.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 19 February 2007
	National clinical assessment service (NCAS) figures show that 115 doctors (66 general practitioners and 49 hospital doctors) and seven dentists are currently on suspension in the national health service in England.
	The information includes doctors and dentists from foundation trusts even though they are not under the management of the Department, as this does give Parliament a total picture for England.
	NCAS is not responsible for monitoring suspensions of other healthcare professionals and cannot therefore provide information about nurses or other clinical staff.
	Figures for other clinical staff are not held centrally.
	Information regarding the duration of the longest suspension is not available as this could identify the postholder.

Health Visitors

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many whole-time equivalent health visitors were employed by the NHS in each year since 1996; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 19 February 2007
	The table shows the number of full-time equivalent health visitors since 1996. There has been an increase in the headcount number of health visitors since 1997 of 408 (3 per cent.) and there has been significant growth in the overall number of nurses working in primary and community care settings in 2004-05 of 3,389 (3.3 per cent.) and since 1997 of 28,504 (36.9 per cent.).
	
		
			  Full-time equivalent number of health visitors 1996 to 2005 
			   Full-time equivalent 
			 1996 10,132 
			 1997 10,025 
			 1998 10,068 
			 1999 10,161 
			 2000 10,046 
			 2001 10,186 
			 2002 9,912 
			 2003 9,999 
			 2004 10,137 
			 2005 9,809 
			  Source: Non medical workforce census

Homeopathy

Rudi Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if she will write to primary care trusts to remind them that access to homeopathy in the NHS should continue to be an option for all patients;
	(2)  what the Government's policy is on the future provision of complementary medicine through NHS homeopathic hospitals.

Caroline Flint: The Government consider that decision making on individual clinical interventions, whether conventional, or complementary/alternative treatments, has to be a matter for local national health service providers and practitioners as they are best placed to know their community's needs. In making such decisions, they have to take into account evidence for the safety, clinical and cost-effectiveness of any treatments, the availability of suitably qualified practitioners, and the needs of the individual patient. Clinical responsibility rests with the NHS professional who makes the decision to refer and who must therefore be able to justify any treatment they recommend. If they are unconvinced about the suitability of a particular treatment, they cannot be made to refer.

Hospices: Children

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  which organisations have been consulted during the review of funding for children's hospices; and how many meetings have been held with representatives of those organisations;
	(2)  if she will make it her policy to ensure that children's hospices receive adequate funding; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  when she expects to receive the recommendations of the review of the funding of children's hospices.

Ivan Lewis: Professor Sir Alan Craft, Head of Child Health at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and Sue Killen, a senior civil servant, are leading the review into the future sustainability of palliative care services for children and young people who have a life-limiting or life-threatening condition. We expect to receive their recommendations during February.
	A full list of those consulted, and a list of the meetings and visits conducted as part of the review will be made public at the time the report is published in the spring. In the meantime, it would not be sensible to comment on future, long-term funding arrangements.

Maternity Care

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans her Department has to introduce neonatal training in teaching hospitals on developmental care.

Rosie Winterton: All national health service employers have a duty to ensure that their staff are properly trained for the duties they undertake. It is a matter for strategic health authorities and NHS trusts locally to include provision for any necessary training in their development plans for services.

Medical Records

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who is responsible for the incorporation of special case files into medical records at North Staffordshire NHS trust and the Royal Brompton hospital; and if she will take steps to ensure full integration of the records.

Caroline Flint: Information from special case files should not be included in medical records without the consent of the individual patient concerned. The patient should also agree the person to whom information should be disclosed, and this should normally be a clinician who is actively involved in providing care to the patient. A clinician in receipt of such information must determine whether to record it within the patient's record and should do so where the information is relevant to the ongoing care of the patient concerned.

Netcare: UK

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many  (a) clinical and  (b) non-clinical staff Netcare (UK) employs undertaking services for the NHS;
	(2)  how many and what percentage of Netcare (UK) clinical staff undertaking services for the NHS have  (a) UK,  (b) EU and  (c) South African medical qualifications.

Andy Burnham: Netcare provides healthcare services through the independent sector treatment centre (ISTC) programme but also provides services in addition to those contracts. The Department does not routinely collect information on independent providers' total work force.
	Netcare has provided information on total clinical staff numbers as part of the bidding process for phase two of the ISTC programme. The information, provided in 2005 showed approximately 10,950 clinical staff. The other information requested is not held by the Department.
	Netcare is contractually required to ensure that appropriately qualified staff are employed in facilities providing services to national health service patients through the ISTC programme.

NHS Dentistry

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many fillings were undertaken by NHS dentists in the Torbay primary care trust area in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: Data are not available prior to 1998-99. The following table shows data for Torbay primary care trust (PCT) for the years ending 31 March 1999 to 2006.
	
		
			  Number of individual teeth filled by national health service dentists within Torbay PCT in the years ending 31 March 1999-2006 
			  Year ending 31 March  Number of teeth filled 
			 1999 62,652 
			 2000 65,231 
			 2001 63,929 
			 2002 60,430 
			 2003 58,176 
			 2004 50,298 
			 2005 40,908 
			 2006 40,288 
			  Sources: 1. The Information Centre for health and social care 2. NHS Business Services Authority

NHS Prescriptions

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescription items were dispensed by the NHS in each year since 1990; and what the total  (a) gross and  (b) net cost of these items was in each year.

Caroline Flint: Information on the number and net ingredient cost of prescription items dispensed in the community is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Prescription items (Thousand)  Net ingredient cost (£000) 
			 1990 360,505 2,109,067 
			 1991 406,488 2,519,870 
			 1992 425,148 2,857,983 
			 1993 445,434 3,158,503 
			 1994 456,069 3,405,159 
			 1995 473,347 3,680,642 
			 1996 484,913 4,006,988 
			 1997 500,153 4,367,474 
			 1998 513,209 4,701,487 
			 1999 529,770 5,291,242 
			 2000 551,843 5,584,645 
			 2001 587,049 6,116,569 
			 2002 617,022 6,846,656 
			 2003 649,703 7,510,134 
			 2004 686,139 8,079,567 
			 2005 720,283 7,936,564 
		
	
	These figures do not include drugs dispensed in hospitals, including mental health trusts, or private prescriptions. Information on the gross cost of prescription items dispensed is not collected centrally.
	 Note:
	Net ingredient cost (NIC) is the basic cost of a drug. It does not take account of discounts, dispensing costs, fees or prescription charges income.
	 Source:
	Prescription cost analysis data from the prescription pricing division of the NHS Business Services Authority

NHS: Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to table 5 in her Department's Memorandum to the Health Committee entitled Public Expenditure on Health and Personal Social Services 2006, HC 1692-i, published 21 November 2006, what the total NHS Trust reported use of additional resources for the purpose of debt repayment was in each year since 2001-02, expressed  (a) as a percentage of the additional resources available and  (b) in cash terms; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The data used in table five in response to the Health Select Committee memorandum were constructed using data collected from national health service trusts as part of the process for increasing in-year financial monitoring and were collected for the first time in 2005-06. Therefore, the historical information requested is not available.

Orthopaedics: Training

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what contribution independent treatment centres make to training in orthopaedic  (a) surgery and  (b) nursing.

Andy Burnham: Independent Sector Treatment Centres (ISTCs) are increasing the number and variety of training opportunities. Seven ISTCs are able to provide training and training has taken place within ISTCs in both nursing and orthopaedics.
	Postgraduate deans have requested that activity is available for training purposes in the second phase of ISTCs. Independent providers will be expected to appoint directors of postgraduate training to work with local deaneries to oversee training provision within ISTCs across a range of clinical professions.

Skin Cancer

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were diagnosed with skin cancer  (a) in each year between 1987 and 1997 and  (b) in the last 10 years.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 21 February 2007:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many people were diagnosed with skin cancer (a) in each year between 1987 and 1997 and (b) in the last 10 years. I am replying in her absence.
	The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of cancer (incidence) are for the year 2004. Figures showing the number of cases of melanoma skin cancer registered in England, for the years 1985 to 2004, are given in the table below.
	
		
			  Numbers of newly diagnosed cases of melanoma skin( 1)  cancer registered in England, 1985-2004 
			   Number 
			 1985 2,994 
			 1986 2,999 
			 1987 3,432 
			 1988 3,879 
			 1989 3,613 
			 1990 3,505 
			 1991 3,559 
			 1992 3,893 
			 1993 4,429 
			 1994 4,465 
			 1995 4,577 
			 1996 4,487 
			 1997 4,703 
			 1998 5,000 
			 1999 5,041 
			 2000 5,821 
			 2001 6,062 
			 2002 6,416 
			 2003 6,689 
			 2004 7,363 
			 (1) Melanoma skin cancer is defined: from 1979 to 1994 as code 172 in the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (1CD-9); from 1995 as code C43 in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10).  Source: Office for National Statistics

Skin Cancer

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many diagnoses of skin cancer there have been since the imposition of VAT on sunscreen.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 21 February 2007:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many diagnoses of skin cancer there have been since the imposition of VAT on sunscreen. I am replying in her absence. (118930)
	The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of cancer (incidence) are for the year 2004. They are published in the Annual Reference Volume, Cancer statistics: Registrations (Series MB1) available on the NS website http://www.statistics. gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=8843&Pos=l&ColRanks=2&Rank=272
	Sunscreen, unless prescribed by a medical practitioner, has been subject to VAT since the introduction of this tax in 1973. The number of newly diagnosed cases of melanoma skin cancer registered in England between 1973 and 2004 is 114,911.

Sunbeds

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if she will assess the merits of publishing advertisements promoting awareness of the health implications of excessive and inappropriate sun bed use;
	(2)  if she will commission a study to ascertain the number of unstaffed coin-operated tanning salons and their locations;
	(3)  if she will commission a public health study into sun bed use by people under 16.

Caroline Flint: SunSmart, the national skin cancer prevention and sun protection campaign, run by Cancer Research UK on behalf of the United Kingdom Health Departments, supports health promotion events. It includes as part of its printed resources, and on the SunSmart website, information to promote awareness of the risks to health associated with the use of sun beds. It emphasises the risks for minors, and others who are particularly vulnerable to ultra-violet rays, for example due to skin type or family history. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE)guideline for customers and operators of sun beds also recommends that sun beds should not be used by young people under 16 years, and the Department and the HSE are in discussion about whether this guidance needs to be strengthened.
	The possible need for information about the number and distribution of coin-operated sun beds, and the scale of any sun bed use by minors, is one factor that the Department has considered as part of its review of options for the regulation of such sun beds.

Turnaround Teams

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which companies have been contracted to assist with turnaround teams with the NHS; and what the value of these contracts is.

Andy Burnham: A number of national health service organisations have in place or have already received turnaround support from a combination of professional turnaround advisors, predominantly from PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG, Deloittes, Ernst and Young, and/or independent turnaround directors. Contracts are determined at a local level and hence the Department does not routinely hold information on the value of contracts.

Uniforms

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she established her Department's expert working group on uniform policy in the NHS; what work it has undertaken so far; and if she will make a statement;

Ivan Lewis: The uniform and laundry review working group was established on the 25 July 2005, with its first meeting held on that day.
	The work carried out so far includes:
	a commissioned literature review on the microbiological and social importance of uniforms in relation to hospital acquired infections, carried out by Thames Valley University;
	a commissioned scientific study of the effect of water temperature on the removal of micro-organisms during laundering, carried out by University College London Hospitals. This work has recently been completed and the final report is awaited;
	the development of draft information which takes into account professional appearance, patient confidence and healthcare associated infections. This will be finalised once the final report on laundry temperatures is available; and
	a sub-group has been formed and has commenced work to refresh HSG 95(18) 'Hospital laundry arrangements for used and infected linen'.

Uniforms

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in the review of policy on the uniforms of medical staff in NHS hospitals to prevent healthcare-associated infections; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The uniform and laundry review working group was established on the 25 July 2005, with its first meeting held on that day.
	The work carried out so far includes:
	a commissioned literature review on the microbiological and social importance of uniforms in relation to hospital-acquired infections, carried out by Thames Valley University;
	a commissioned scientific study of the effect of water temperature on the removal of micro-organisms during laundering, carried out by University College London Hospitals. This work has recently been completed and the final report is awaited;
	the development of draft information which takes into account professional appearance, patient confidence and healthcare-associated infections. This will be finalised once the final report on laundry temperatures is available; and
	a sub-group has been formed and has commenced work to refresh HSG 95(18) 'Hospital laundry arrangements for used and infected linen'.

Waiting Times

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what average waiting times are in Blackpool South for treatment in  (a) ear, nose and throat,  (b) general surgery,  (c) gynaecology,  (d) orthopaedics,  (e) rheumatology,  (f) urology and  (g) pain relief specialities.

Andy Burnham: The information requested is shown in the tables.
	
		
			  Provider-based in-patient waiting times for Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre NHS Trust, September 2006 
			 Number waiting, individual timebands (weeks) 
			  Specialty  Total waiting list  Median wait (weeks)  Less than 1  1 to 2  2 to 3  3 to 4  4 to 5  5 to 6  6 to 7  7 to 8  8 to 9  9 to 10  10 to 11  11 to 12  12 to 13 
			 General surgery 875 6.8 55 71 86 60 52 59 71 38 58 40 40 41 27 
			 Urology 354 3.2 57 64 52 30 26 26 16 19 9 11 8 8 6 
			 Trauma and Orthopaedics 887 8.5 44 57 60 73 48 70 45 31 34 39 50 39 46 
			 Ear, nose and throat 347 6.1 29 37 31 35 24 16 20 12 8 15 10 25 18 
			 Anaesthetics 38 3.8 3 4 4 11 1 0 3 0 4 0 0 1 0 
			 Rheumatology 0 n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Gynaecology 383 6.9 27 32 32 25 33 24 22 19 23 14 21 14 11 
		
	
	
		
			 Number waiting, individual timebands (weeks) 
			  Specialty  Total waiting list  Median wait (weeks)  13 to 14  14 to 15  15 to 16  16 to 17  17 to 18  18 to 19  19 to 20  20 to 21  21 to 22  22 to 23  23 to 24  24 to 25  25 to 26  26 + 
			 General surgery 875 6.8 30 31 41 19 11 21 4 8 6 4 1 1 0 0 
			 Urology 354 3.2 7 2 5 2 3 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Trauma and Orthopaedics 887 8.5 52 41 26 17 18 28 30 15 14 4 4 0 2 0 
			 Ear, nose and throat 347 6.1 9 13 12 8 4 4 4 3 7 2 0 0 1 0 
			 Anaesthetics 38 3.8 1 0 2 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Rheumatology 0 n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Gynaecology 383 6.9 10 15 15 7 9 6 10 5 3 3 1 2 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			  Provider-based out-patient waiting times for Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre NHS Trust, September 2006 
			 Number waiting, individual timebands (weeks) 
			  Specialty  Total waiting list  Median wait (weeks)  Less than 1  1 to 2  2 to 3  3 to 4  4 to 5  5 to 6  6 to 7  7 to 8  8 to 9  9 to 10  10 to 11  11 to 12  12 to 13  13+ 
			 General Surgery 3w4 2.4 86 80 61 31 23 21 15 20 21 11 10 3 2 0 
			 Urology 87 1.9 25 22 18 6 6 4 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Trauma and orthopaedics 699 4.9 83 77 76 60 59 57 52 58 64 44 33 33 3 0 
			 Ear, nose and throat 557 2.9 89 102 99 60 54 46 38 34 20 8 5 0 2 0 
			 Anaesthetics 118 4.7 21 15 6 11 10 5 9 11 8 8 3 8 3 0 
			 Rheumatology 127 3.2 19 21 21 16 11 17 13 4 2 1 0 2 0 0 
			 Gynaecology 170 2.5 31 37 33 37 13 11 3 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 
			  Source: Department of Health, KH07 and QM08.